Cellular-Capable Retina iPad Mini Models Begin Trickling Into U.S. Apple Retail Stores

One day after the surprise launch of the Retina iPad mini, small amounts of stock of the cellular-capable models of the device have begun trickling into Apple's U.S. retail stores. The company has been offering Personal Pickup of online orders since yesterday, but until now that service has been limited to Wi-Fi models.

Model selection is currently very limited and many stores have yet to show any available cellular models, but availability should improve over time as Apple delivers more stock to its stores.

ipad_mini_retina_lte_store_available
While Apple retail stores in several other countries did have stocks of the cellular-capable Retina iPad mini at launch yesterday, the company's U.S. stores did not have any available. Online orders for the Retina iPad mini through Apple's U.S. store launched with 1-3 day shipping estimates on 16 and 32 GB Wi-Fi models, with larger-capacity Wi-Fi and all cellular models showing 5-10 day shipping. A number of customers who placed orders for Wi-Fi models have already seen their orders shipping directly from China, with delivery scheduled for early next week.

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

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

iOS 18 Available Now With These 8 New Features For Your iPhone

Sunday September 15, 2024 10:09 am PDT by
Following over three months of beta testing, iOS 18 was finally widely released to the public on Monday, September 16. The update is available in the Settings app under General → Software Update on the iPhone XS and newer. Below, we have highlighted eight key new features included in iOS 18, and Apple shared a complete list of new features and changes last week. Note that Apple...
iOS 18 Public Beta Thumb 1

Here's When iOS 18 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone

Monday September 16, 2024 3:56 am PDT by
It's that time of year again. Apple is about to release iOS 18, which promises to bring a range of new features and improvements to iPhones worldwide. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and the company is expected to release it sometime today – Monday, September 16. Based on past releases, the update is likely to drop at around 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time/1:00 p.m. Eastern...
apple silicon mac lineup wwdc 2022 feature purple

M4 Macs, New iPad Mini, and iPad 11 Expected at Upcoming Apple Event

Sunday September 15, 2024 5:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely hold another event in October this year to announce new Macs and iPads. If so, it would be the fourth time in the last five years that Apple has held an event in October. Last year, Apple held a virtual event on Monday, October 30 to announce new MacBook Pro and iMac models with the M3 series of chips. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated...
M4 Mac mini Black Ortho Cooler

Apple Leaks New Mac Mini With 5 USB-C Ports

Monday September 16, 2024 11:40 am PDT by
Apple has seemingly leaked the rumored next-generation Mac mini with five USB-C ports, according to a code change within Apple software that was discovered today by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The code refers to an unreleased Mac mini model with an Apple silicon chip and five ports, which lines up with a previous report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman that said the next Mac mini will be ...
16 pro

iPhone 16 Pro Demand Has Been Lower Than Expected, Analyst Says

Sunday September 15, 2024 3:58 pm PDT by
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said demand for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max has been "lower than expected" since the devices became available to pre-order in the U.S. and dozens of other countries on Friday. Kuo said his data is based on a "supply chain survey" and shipping estimates listed on Apple's online store. Kuo estimated that sales of all four iPhone 16 models reached...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue Face ID Single Camera Hole

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 17

Friday September 13, 2024 2:40 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different – already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...

Top Rated Comments

Chupa Chupa Avatar
142 months ago
If you're serious about using an iPad, the Cellular one is the only one to bother with, in my opinion.

Why? Simply because it includes Assisted GPS. The WiFi-only model does not.

That means, without having ANY data connection, you can take the Cellular iPad out into the middle of no where and still use it as a Turn by Turn GPS device (provided you have offline maps already downloaded).

That depends entirely upon what the user is serious about doing. Why? Because not everyone needs cellular service and certainly not just for GPS. Many iPad users also own an iPhone or other smartphone w/ GPS and also have GPS in their car. So unless one needs a cellular connection it's idiotic to spend $130 extra.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sniffies Avatar
142 months ago
iPhone 6 is my next iPad Mini.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Chupa Chupa Avatar
142 months ago
"Serious" as a laptop/computer replacement, I guess. Something you take with you everywhere and use for everything.

But who has a GPS chip in their laptop? My rMBP doesn't have it or cellular -- just WiFi.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
catalyst6 Avatar
142 months ago
Had the cellular option been available yesterday, id probably have two iPads right now. Black iPads are dead to me.

wat
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Xenomorph Avatar
142 months ago
If you're serious about using an iPad, the Cellular one is the only one to bother with, in my opinion.

Why? Simply because it includes Assisted GPS. The WiFi-only model does not.

That means, without having ANY data connection, you can take the Cellular iPad out into the middle of no where and still use it as a Turn by Turn GPS device (provided you have offline maps already downloaded).
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheAppleFairy Avatar
142 months ago
After 2 full days of waiting for my online order to update & ship, I've located the same model at the local Apple Store and canceled my order. Not sure what was taking them so long. I just have a hundred things to do during my lunch break so I probably won't get this thing until Saturday ;)

I did the exact same thing. I picked mine up at 8pm though. Took a couple of hours because Apples systems went down today and couldn't pick up when I paid at 6. Now my bank account has been charged twice for a 32gb cellular iPad mini. Hopefully it clear the cancelled one soon.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)