An industry analyst says Friday's will lead to shortages of Apple iPads. Foxconn Technology Group also makes Apple's iPhone and other consumer electronics for companies including Sony and Hewlett-Packard.

The full impact of the disaster on manufacturing is not known. The Associated Press reports that a company official said a fire sparked by the explosion, which appears to have been caused by an accident in the plant's polishing workshop, had been quickly put out and that operations at the factory would not be affected.

Still, some in the industry believe there could be manufacturing hiccups.

Analyst Mike Abramsky of RBC Capital said in a research note that was picked up by several news organizations that the worst-case scenario is that iPad production will be reduced by 2.8 million units -- a drop of 36 percent for third-quarter production against an estimated production run of 8 million units. The best scenario is that production will be reduced by less than 1.3 million units as Foxconn makes repairs, according to Abramsky.

There could be other long-term impacts, too. Industry observers have noted reports of .