It emerged earlier on today that the launch of the iPad mini 2 with Retina display had begun, shortly after news began to spread, it became apparent that the device was, at least in the United States, only available for Personal Pickup. Now, a press release from the Cupertino company has confirmed this to be the case, and with such short supply of the second-gen iPad mini, it’s likely to be a while before this begins to change.
Apple was very well prepared for the launch of the iPad Air. It dropped on November 1st, was available right away to customers walking into Apple Retail Stores, and with the iPhone 5s still hard to get hold of in certain configurations, it was nice to see a readily available flagship product from Apple. The Retina display iPad mini, which was announced alongside the iPad Air, was given no definite release date, and Apple today took the rather unusual step of releasing the device quietly, and without any kind of fanfare. Unfortunately, those yield issues are still proving problematic and as such, those looking to purchase the newly-upgraded slate from an Apple Store will need to do so via Personal Pickup.
Personal Pickup, in a nutshell, lets the consumer purchase their device online, before heading over to their local Apple Retail Store for the pick up. So, anybody wanting that new iPad mini with Retina display cannot simply waltz into an Apple Retail Store just yet, but as supply improves, the current procedure should soon be phased out.
With a starting price point of $399 – a full $100 cheaper than the almost technically identical entry-level iPad Air – it’s no wonder many consumers have been waiting for the Retina display toting iPad mini, and although it’s going to be another iPhone 5s-like struggle to get hold of a unit, it’s good to see that the company’s smaller tablet has been kitted out with the kind of hardware we expected of the inaugural release.
With the press release now out there, the official launch of the iPad mini 2 with Retina display has well and truly begun. As well as the Personal Pickup, those taken by the new slate can also order online the usual way, although with a 1-3 day wait for the standard 16GB + Wi-Fi and 5-7 days for other variants, the impatient among you will probably want to go with Personal Pickup.
You may also like to check out:
You can follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ or like our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the Web.
