Taiwan's industrial production reached its highest ever level in March, breaking the previous record set in December 2010. Many of the island's large manufacturers have reported impressive sales and profits in recent months, notably those producing components for smartphones and tablet computers, global demand for which has surged in the past year. TPK, a major supplier of touch screens for the fast-selling iPhone and iPad tablet computer sold by a US electronics firm, Apple, reported revenue of US$886m in the first three months of this year. Apple sold nearly 1m units of its iPad 2 during its debut weekend in mid-March. The original version of the iPad took 28 days to reach the 1m mark, and dominated the tablet market last year, selling 15m units. The picture was less rosy in the first quarter of 2011 for Hon Hai Precision Industry, the world's largest contract electronics manufacturer. The company saw its net profit for the period fall by almost 20% year on year, owing to higher operating costs. Furthermore, several foreign institutional investors have been cautious in recent weeks about prospects for Taiwan's semiconductor industry, citing expected weakening global demand for products such as set-top boxes, digital televisions and laptop computers.