Apple Retail Stores Begin Offering Walk-In Sales of Retina iPad Mini Models

Following a surprise launch last week that saw Apple's retail stores offering the new Retina iPad mini only for Personal Pickup of online orders, the company's U.S. stores have now begun selling the device to walk-in customers. Supplies do, however, remain extremely tight, and thus ordering online for Personal Pickup to secure a specific model is still advised.

retina_ipad_mini_space_gray_silver
The launch of walk-in sales was noted this morning in a research note from Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Brian White, who indicated that a number of New York City stores received shipments designated for walk-in customers last night and this morning. MacRumors has confirmed that walk-in sales are now being offered in some stores, although one store contacted by MacRumors reported that it was still offering only Personal Pickup options.

Apple has also updated its iPad retail page to simply encourage customers to purchase in-store, rather than specifically noting that they should purchase the Retina iPad mini online for in-store pickup.

The tight supply constraints on Retina iPad mini models mean that Personal Pickup remains unavailable for many models at many stores, with several supply trackers attempting to help customers determine whether their desired models are available in their areas. Online orders through Apple's U.S. online store continue to show 5-10 business day shipping estimates for all models.

Update 10:40 AM: White has issued a new note reporting that 26 out of 32 stores surveyed by his team currently have at least some stock of Retina iPad mini models available for walk-in purchase.

Related Roundup: iPad mini
Buyer's Guide: iPad Mini (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 8 New Features

Thursday January 9, 2025 5:45 am PST by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. iPhone 17 Pro concept based on rumors Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of January 2025: More aluminum: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models ...
Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.3 Coming Soon: Here's What's New

Monday January 13, 2025 5:33 am PST by
iOS 18.3 is currently in beta for developers and public beta testers. So far, the upcoming iPhone software update is very minor in scope. Below, we outline what is new in iOS 18.3 so far. The only potential new feature coming to iPhones with iOS 18.3 so far is robot vacuum support in the Home app, but this functionality is not yet live. Apple is laying the groundwork for the feature,...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

HomePod Mini 2 and New Apple TV Launch Timeframe Narrowed Down

Sunday January 12, 2025 4:11 pm PST by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman recently reported that Apple plans to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models this year, and now he has provided a more precise timeframe. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said Apple is currently aiming to launch the new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year." That timeframe suggests the devices will be released at some point...
new magsafe charger

Apple Releases Updated MagSafe Charger Firmware

Tuesday January 14, 2025 11:30 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the 25W MagSafe Charger that is compatible with the iPhone 12 and later and the latest AirPods and Apple Watch models. The updated firmware is version 2A143, up from the 2A138 firmware that the accessory shipped with. In the Settings app, you'll see a different version number than the internal firmware number. The 2024 MagSafe charger was...
se 4 for 2025

When to Expect the iPhone SE 4 or So-Called 'iPhone 16E' to Launch

Friday January 10, 2025 9:20 am PST by
Apple is widely rumored to be planning a new iPhone SE, and multiple sources lately have commented on the device's launch timing. The latest word comes from Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a blog post today, he said the device will be released around the middle of the first half of 2025. In other words, around the quarter mark of 2025. That means the next iPhone SE will likely be ...
AppleEventLogoFeature

Apple Focusing on These Eight New Low-Cost Devices in 2025

Saturday January 11, 2025 1:00 am PST by
Apple's slate of 2025 products look to be dominated by a large number of low-cost and entry-level devices. Here's what to expect. With advancements like Apple Intelligence and all-new in-house chip designs, Apple is reportedly looking to enhance many of its budget-friendly offerings, ensuring they remain competitive in an increasingly crowded market. These updates also indicate a slight...
General Apps Messages Redux

Phishing Attacks Use This Simple Trick to Defeat iPhone Message Security

Monday January 13, 2025 6:11 am PST by
A new social engineering tactic is being used by cybercriminals to trick iPhone users into disabling iMessage's built-in phishing protection, in a bid to expose them to malicious links and scams, according to BleepingComputer. The scam exploits a security feature in iMessage that automatically disables links from unknown senders. Apple told the outlet that when users reply to these messages...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Expected This Year: Here's What We Know

Wednesday January 8, 2025 7:05 am PST by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch sometime in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as...

Top Rated Comments

noiseordinance Avatar
146 months ago
Put a samsung screen in this sucker and I'll give you my money.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bpcookson Avatar
146 months ago
I think you are correct in that the average user won't know / care about the yellow screen. It's just that I currently have a first gen ipad mini and am already slightly annoyed by the jaundiced screen. I definitely can't see myself spending money to "upgrade" to new high res yellow screen with ghosting issues. What can I say? I've become extremely spoiled with my rmbp 15" with beautiful samsung display. They really make all other display manufacturers look like crap.

Yellow screen and ghosting? It sounds like you're not talking about color accuracy at all, but rather manufacturing defects that are well within limits of the 1 year warranty.

I've got a friend who was complaining to me about how terrible the battery is on his iPhone 5. He's even got a Mophie and it only lasts a couple hours or so without even being used so he has to constantly charge it all day every day. Somehow, it never dawned on him to just walk into an Apple store to get it checked out. :confused:

If you've got a lemon, go get it replaced; Apple is pretty good about that sort of thing.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SHirsch999 Avatar
146 months ago
Put a samsung screen in this sucker and I'll give you my money.

I said when this thing was announced that it is the iPad I have been waiting for. Now that I've had it for a week, I will repeat what I previously said - This is the iPad I have been waiting for, and the wait is over! These ridiculous screen issues don't bother me the slightest bit.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bpcookson Avatar
146 months ago
Put a samsung screen in this sucker and I'll give you my money.

I got my rMini on the day of release and was thoroughly enjoying a number of games thinking, "Wow, this screen is amazing! And the colors are so awesome!" I mean, I was literally playing Oceanhorn thinking that the colorful palette was super vibrant and popping, wondering if my iPad 3 could possibly look as good.

Then of course Anand's review came out and everyone is like, "Wow, that screen is garbage! The colors are so faded!"

I honestly can't imagine that the average consumer will ever notice the color gamut deficiency. That being said, do you mind me asking what your use case is that this matters? And if it's just for watching movies or other media consumption, is this something you noticed before Anand's review (e.g. the original iPad mini's color gamut)?

(I am of course assuming that your request for a Samsung screen implies that their screen would present better color accuracy.)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nwcs Avatar
146 months ago
Nice that there are still some out there for people to get. I got my rMini the other day. It's excellent. I swear, though, on an unrelated topic that a lot of MacRumors posters are anhedonic, lol...
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
currentinterest Avatar
146 months ago
Son has one, screen looks perfect. I read the article about the display. If I recall correctly, it says the difference is not noticeable unless one is a graphics professional producing professional work.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)