iPad Mini Sells Out in Two Hours at Apple's Flagship Fifth Avenue Retail Store

ipad mini handWhile reports have indicated that launch-day lines for the iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad have been shorter than seen for many previous Apple product launches, some Apple retail stores are still seeing long lines. Fortune notes that despite the impact of Hurricane Sandy in the northeastern United States, Apple's flagship Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan saw over 800 people in line as the store opened at 10:00 AM, two hours later than originally planned.

According to the records Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster has been keeping since 2008 (see below), that's more customers than turned out for the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4S.

And by 9:56 a.m. -- four minutes before the doors finally opened -- I counted 801 men, women and children. Only the iPhone 4 (1,300) and iPad 2 (1,190) drew bigger crowds.

Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White is also at the Fifth Avenue store and has been monitoring availability of the various models. According to White, all three models of the white Wi-Fi iPad mini sold out in a little over an hour, with the black models following suit after about two hours. No additional shipments are expected at the store today.

We are at Apple's flagship Fifth Avenue store in New York City and our checks now indicate that all of the White & Silver iPad mini models sold out at around 11:15 AM. We estimate that the 16GB and 64GB were sold out by 10:30 AM ET and the 32GB sold out at around 11:15 AM ET. [...]

As of 11:40 AM ET, both the 16GB and 32GB Black & Slate iPad mini models were sold out at the Fifth Avenue NYC store; while we estimate the 64GB iPad mini sold out at around 12:10 PM ET.

A similar pattern was seen in online pre-orders, with the white models selling out in just 17 minutes and the black models taking a few days to run out of availability.

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

Popular Stories

apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT 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. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
top stories 2025 04 26

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Air Rumors, Apple Watch Turns 10, and More

Saturday April 26, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
We've known for quite some time about Apple's plans for a thinner "iPhone 17 Air" coming later this year, but wow, the latest dummy models give us our best look yet at just how thin this phone is going to be. Other Apple news and rumors this week included another iOS 18.5 beta, the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch launch, and more management reshuffling in Apple's Siri division, so read...

Top Rated Comments

klover Avatar
163 months ago
Won't sell well.
Overpriced.
Crappy screen.
No market niche.
Nexus 7 is better.
No Retina.
CPU is old.
RAM is weak.
Tim Cook's major failure.
Apple's greed is unrelenting.


:rolleyes:
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AppleInMyBlood Avatar
163 months ago
They're pulling corpses out of the water and these people are lining up to buy the latest gadget. I don't know what's more disgusting, the fact people in this area are buying or that Apple is selling.
You're not seriously suggesting retail stores should all shut down, are you? That would do wonders for the economy. :rolleyes:

But since you're so fond of being judgmental, how's this:

How dare you be spending your time reading MacRumours on a day when people are struggling against Superstorm Sandy?! Disgusting! You should be busy making donations, or on a flight to the East Coast to help out, or at the very least reading about the storm on a general news site! :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klover Avatar
163 months ago
They're pulling corpses out of the water and these people are lining up to buy the latest gadget. I don't know what's more disgusting, the fact people in this area are buying or that Apple is selling.

You're right. In the wake of something terrible, nobody should do anything for themselves that makes them feel better or brightens their day.

They have dances during wars you know.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bbeagle Avatar
163 months ago
It's disgusting....I'm an Apple guy and to even care about this now with all that is happening in the Tri-State is gluttony.
OMG! Something is ALWAYS happening in the world. Get over yourself.

I have family living in New Jersey, even a cousin living in hard-hit Hoboken, NJ. They're fine. I can't go out there right now, I have to continue living my life. I'm not buying an iPad mini, but have no issue at all with people buying them.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NIKKG Avatar
163 months ago
How many in line were Asians buying them all up for resell?
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nungster Avatar
163 months ago
They're pulling corpses out of the water and these people are lining up to buy the latest gadget. I don't know what's more disgusting, the fact people in this area are buying or that Apple is selling.

I live here in Florida, and storms/hurricanes are no stranger to these parts. Storms come and go, people heed and people ignore warnings. Thus people end up dying. Death is a fact of life, and world moves on.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)