Reservation System Yields Orderly Launch of New iPad in China
As noted by The Next Web, Apple today launched the third-generation iPad in China to small, orderly crowds, avoiding a repeat of the chaotic iPhone 4S launch back in January that forced Apple to temporarily halt in-store sales of the device in the country.
Security staff monitor quiet iPad launch at Apple's Sanlitun retail store in Beijing The iPad launch appears to have gone much more smoothly in part due to a reservation system the company deployed to help minimize lines and thwart scalpers seeking to soak up available supplies and resell the devices for significant profits. Prospective customers were required to pre-register for their in-store purchases by noon yesterday, with customers receiving designated appointment times today to come pick up their iPads.
As of now, today, there is no sign of the scalper contingent, which is typically out in full force for Apple product launches in China – the computer giant’s second largest market.
According to staff at the Sanliutin Apple Store, iPad sales will continue to be reservation-only indefinitely. Customers can reserve the new iPad daily from 9am-12pm and will be assigned a pickup time for the following day or later.
Crowds at the Sanlitun store were sparse under the new reservation system, with the store opening two hours early at 8:00 AM but with only ten people in line by 8:30.
Popular Stories
Black Friday sales are continuing today with Best Buy kicking off early Black Friday deals that will last for the next few days. Similar to other retailers, Best Buy's early Black Friday event includes sitewide savings on Apple products, headphones, TVs, monitors, video games, and more.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may...
Apple today released firmware updates for both AirPods 4 models (version number 7B20) and the AirPods Pro 2 with both Lightning and USB-C charging cases (version number 7B21). All of these AirPods models were previously on firmware version 7B19.
It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in firmware versions 7B20 and 7B21, but we will update this story if we find...
Apple has returned to using two 128GB storage chips in the new Mac mini with 256GB of storage, according to a partial teardown video shared on social media today. This means the base-model Mac mini with the M4 chip will not have significantly slower SSD speeds compared to higher-end configurations of the computer with 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB of storage, as multiple NAND chips allows for faster SSD...
In its announcement video for the new Mac mini last month, Apple teased an "upcoming" version of Final Cut Pro for the Mac. Apple will likely announce the update during the annual Final Cut Pro Creative Summit, which begins this Wednesday. The conference is held in association with Apple, and attendees will be visiting Apple Park on the first day.
Apple already teased four new features...
Next year's iPhone 17 "Air" model may not be as thin as Apple planned, according to a rumor originating in Korea.
According to the news aggregator account "yeux1122" on Naver, citing industry sources, Apple has run into problems making the new iPhone 17 model sufficiently thin. The device's reduced thickness is apparently dependent on manufacturing a battery with a thinner substrate, but...
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 updates to developers, and Apple is continuing to refine the Apple Intelligence capabilities. There are also a handful of smaller features that are worth knowing about.
Find My
Find My has a new option to Share Item Location with an "airline or trusted person" that can help you locate something that you've misplaced....
Law enforcement officials in Detroit, Michigan are warning other police officers about an alleged iPhone change that causes Apple devices stored for forensic examination to spontaneously restart, reports 404 Media.
iPhones that are undergoing examination have apparently been rebooting, which makes them harder to unlock with brute force methods, and Michigan police think that it's due to a...