Apple Stores Receiving Large Quantities of iPad Air Stock Ahead of Friday's Launch - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Stores Receiving Large Quantities of iPad Air Stock Ahead of Friday's Launch

Both Apple Retail Stores and Apple resellers have begun receiving iPad Air stock to prepare for Friday’s launch, reports 9to5Mac. Shipments have begun showing up at Apple Stores and third party locations such as Walmart.

According to the site, major Apple retail locations across the United States are getting more than 500 units of the iPad Air, suggesting that supplies of the tablet will be plentiful, as we initially reported earlier this week. International stores are also receiving decent quantities of the iPad Air.

ipadair

We've heard similar from resellers of iPads internationally with some chains indicating that they will have a solid number of iPad Airs on tap for Friday. These stores say even more supply is promised for the next couple of weeks…

Due to seemingly adequate supplies of the iPad Air, Apple will reportedly accept requests for Personal Pickup, allowing prospective buyers to reserve an iPad Air online beginning at 12:01 AM Pacific Time and pick it up at an Apple Store later that same day, avoiding lines.

Online orders for the iPad Air will begin at 12:01 AM Pacific Time in the United States, and at varying times in other countries. Apple retail locations will open at 8 AM local time in the U.S. and other countries in order to begin in-store sales. Third party outlets, such as Walmart, Best Buy, and Target, will also offer the iPad Air beginning on Friday.

Apple's iPad Air, which features a Retina display, an A7 processor, and an all new thin-and-light design, will be available in white/silver and black/space gray and begins at $499 for the entry-level 16 GB Wi-Fi only model with a $100 price increase for additional storage options up to 128 GB and an extra $129 for comparable cellular models.

Related Roundup: iPad
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

iPhone Handoff Feature

iOS 27 Introduces New 'iPhone Handoff' Feature

Wednesday September 2, 2026 12:35 pm PDT by
Apple has added a new "iPhone Handoff" feature to iOS 27 that will allow you to switch between two iPhones while using the same phone number on each device. This functionality was briefly mentioned during the WWDC 2026 keynote in June, on a slide that listed hundreds of new features coming in iOS 27 and corresponding software updates, but Apple never shared any further details at the time. ...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Prices Estimated Ahead of Apple Event Next Week

Thursday September 3, 2026 3:41 am PDT by
Less than a week before Apple debuts new iPhone 18 Pro models, research firm TrendForce has estimated the prices of the devices based on the latest hardware cost environment. TrendForce's price estimates compared to last year's models look like this: Model Starting Price Model Starting Price Change iPhone 17 Pro $1,099 iPhone 18 Pro $...
Apple Foldable Thumb

iPhone Ultra's Very High Price and Features Revealed in New Report

Thursday September 3, 2026 7:33 am PDT by
Ahead of Apple's event on Wednesday, September 9, where it is expected to unveil its first-ever foldable iPhone, Taiwanese research firm TrendForce today outlined the device's estimated price range, features, and some other key details. In the U.S., TrendForce estimated that the foldable iPhone will have a starting price of $2,099 to $2,299 and said the highest-end configurations could...

Top Rated Comments

Nicky G Avatar
168 months ago
Going to be soooooooo hard to decide between the Air and the Retina mini!

First world problems... :o
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tankmaze Avatar
168 months ago
thats... good news, can't say the same for the gold 5s :rolleyes:
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Aluminum213 Avatar
168 months ago
Going to hit the AT&T Friday morning when they open at 8am. No Apple store in my town and I think I'm going to get it on Next in case next years model is significantly better.


Next year

A8
2gb ram
Touch ID
8MP iSight camera
Offered in gold
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
168 months ago
Going to be soooooooo hard to decide between the Air and the Retina mini!

First world problems... :o

Since they both have the same performance, it all comes down to screen size. For me, the bigger screen was a quick decision. :)
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
musika Avatar
168 months ago
Showing some manufacturing muscle after that 5s launch.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
168 months ago
Wow! Cool... :apple:

Now that you have a picture and likely a subpoena-able IP address on this site and twitter, can (will??)Apple security come after you and seize or make you forfeit the iPad Air?? Maybe some lawyers on the site can provide inputs on what Apple could do legally here, if anything? :confused:

If be ok with that, I did NOTHING wrong so I'd get a refund AND an awesome story. Also I feel that a couple people getting them early is not on Apple's radar :-)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)