Retina iPad Mini Shipping Times Lengthening at Major U.S. Carriers Amid Supply Constraints

Major U.S. carriers Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile are still experiencing back orders on the cellular version of the iPad Mini with Retina Display, signaling that the 3G/4G version of the tablet is still experiencing heavy supply constraints, reports CNET. While Apple's online store still shows that cellular Retina iPad minis are available to ship in 5-10 business days, Verizon's page for the device shows that the device will ship by December 2, with T-Mobile and AT&T showing 6-8 week and 21-28 day delivery estimates, respectively. ipadminispacegray
Small amounts of stock of the cellular-capable models of the device began trickling into Apple's U.S. retail stores one day after the device's surprise launch last week, with Apple offering a Personal Pickup option for online orders. However, overall production of the device has been heavily constrained for the time being due to suggested display production issues, with shipments of the tablet likely to double in Q1 2014 as shortages ease.

First announced at Apple's iPad-centric October event, the second-generation iPad mini features a high resolution 2048x1536 display, with 326 pixels per inch, and a 64-bit A7 chip with the M7 motion co-processor. Those interested in purchasing the device can also check out an unofficial web tracker for checking the availability of Retina iPad mini models at Apple's U.S. retail locations. The tracker continues to show low in-store availability, with Sprint and low-capacity Wi-Fi models seeing the best supplies.

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

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
2024 App Store Awards

Apple Explains Why It Removed TikTok From the App Store in the U.S.

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action. Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
iPhone 17 Air Size Feature

'iPhone 17 Air' With Rear Camera Bar Allegedly Shown in Leaked Photo

Tuesday January 21, 2025 12:46 pm PST by
A leaker known as "Majin Bu" today shared an alleged image of a component for the rumored, ultra-thin "iPhone 17 Air" model. The blurry, pixelated image shows a pair of rear iPhone shells with a pill-shaped, raised camera bar along the top. On the left side of the bar, there is a circular cutout that appears to be for a single rear camera. On the right side of the bar, there appears to be an ...
iPhone SE Dynamic Island Majin Bu

iPhone SE 4 Leak Shows Dynamic Island, Casts Doubt on Rumored 'iPhone 16E' Name

Monday January 20, 2025 9:01 am PST by
A new iPhone SE is widely rumored to launch this year, and the device has potentially been confirmed today by known leaker Evan Blass. In a private social media post, Blass shared an image of what appears to be source code mentioning an iPhone SE (4th Gen), which casts doubt on the alternative "iPhone 16E" name rumored for the device. However, the name in the source code could be a...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:28 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cited a source who said iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that can run iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhon...
airtag 4 pack blue

AirTag 2 Launching This Year With These 3 New Features

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:11 am PST by
After a four-year wait, a new AirTag is finally expected to launch in 2025. Below, we recap rumored upgrades for the accessory. A few months ago, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was aiming to release the AirTag 2 around the middle of 2025. While he did not offer a more specific timeframe, that means the AirTag 2 could be announced by the end of June. The original AirTag was announced...
apple power beats pro 2

Powerbeats Pro 2 Coming Soon: Apple to Announce Them 'Imminently'

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:25 am PST by
In September, Apple said that it would be launching Powerbeats Pro 2 in 2025, and it appears the wireless earbuds are coming very soon. Powerbeats Pro 2 images found in iOS 18 code In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the Powerbeats Pro 2 are "due imminently." In addition to Apple filing the Powerbeats Pro 2 in regulatory databases last month, Gurman said Apple is...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.3 Beta 3

Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features. Notification Summary Changes Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines. For...

Top Rated Comments

dumastudetto Avatar
146 months ago
But I thought Retina iPad Mini was a huge failure with a terrible color gamut and nobody wants to buy one?!?!?!!?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Brian Y Avatar
146 months ago
But I thought Retina iPad Mini was a huge failure with a terrible color gamut and nobody wants to buy one?!?!?!!?

Nobody outside of MacRumors gives two craps about colour gamut.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
UnfetteredMind Avatar
146 months ago
My space gray 16GB WiFi + Cellular T-Mobile version is to arrive on Friday. Looking forward to my first iPad!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JAT Avatar
146 months ago
I got my LTE version. Nice piece of equipment. However, I can see how it is not ultimately a replacement for a full-sized iPad. Some stuff just comes up on the screen a bit too small. But it does what I need it to do. I left my briefcase at home this morning and was still able to read emails and documents on my subway ride into work. :D

Wow! What kind of briefcase shows you emails?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WaxedJacket Avatar
146 months ago
So glad I'm poor right now cuz I'd just be blowing my cash on Apple products ;)

This allows me to wait for this whole fiasco to settle and maybe have a few rMini's show up on the refurb store. :D
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
akron0488 Avatar
146 months ago
Apple still seems to have plenty though. So much for constrained supplies "for the rest of the year."

----------

I got my LTE version. Nice piece of equipment. However, I can see how it is not ultimately a replacement for a full-sized iPad. Some stuff just comes up on the screen a bit too small. But it does what I need it to do. I left my briefcase at home this morning and was still able to read emails and documents on my subway ride into work. :D

Not pocketable into inside suit jacket though. Which is a negative over the Nexus 7 form factor. It being winter, it easily fits into winter coats. But still a drawback on this form factor.

That's what your iPhone/smartphone is for. Not sure why people need iPad to read emails while on the go unless you're looking at charts or graphs constantly.

I love my mini. Couldn't go back to regular iPad now as it seems far too big. The mini is perfect for travel and the screen isn't intrusive to anyone. You can privately watch a movie without taking too much space and it fits perfectly in one hand.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)