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 (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

iOS 19 to Have Some of the 'Biggest' Design Changes in iPhone's History

Sunday March 16, 2025 10:35 am PDT by
Apple is planning some of the "biggest iOS and macOS redesigns in its history," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman reiterated that iOS 19 will have a visionOS-like design with more transparent interfaces:The new interfaces will adopt the design principles introduced in visionOS, the software for Apple's Vision Pro headset. That includes greater...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro teal 1

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Coming to These 8 U.S. States, But Rollout Remains Slow

Wednesday March 19, 2025 6:55 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly. It has been three and a half years since Apple first announced the...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro Already Rumored to Have Five New Features

Tuesday March 18, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro models are still around a year and a half away from launching, there are already some early rumors about the devices. Below, we recap some key iPhone 18 Pro rumors so far. Under-Screen Face ID In April 2023, display industry analyst Ross Young shared a roadmap showing that iPhone 17 Pro models would feature under-display Face ID. In May 2024, however, Young said ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Apple's First Foldable iPhone Estimated to Cost Nearly Twice as Much as iPhone 16 Pro Max

Monday March 17, 2025 6:42 am PDT by
In an investor research note today with British bank Barclays, analyst Tim Long said Apple's first foldable iPhone could have a starting price in the $2,300 range in the United States, which would make it by far the most expensive iPhone model ever. If the first foldable iPhone starts at $2,299, that means it would cost nearly twice as much as the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which starts at $1,199. ...
Bent iPhone Air Feature

Apple Canned Larger iPhone 17 Air Model Over Fears of Bendgate 2.0

Monday March 17, 2025 4:07 am PDT by
Apple prototyped a larger ultra-slim iPhone 17 Air with a 6.9-inch display, but ultimately decided not to go ahead with the device because of fears that it could be susceptible to bending, according to a new report. Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, writing in his latest Power On newsletter: When it first started work on the phone, it prototyped a device with a 6.9-inch screen — matching...
iphone 16 pro models 1

All Four iPhone 17 Models Rumored to Feature Upgraded 24-Megapixel Front Camera and More

Monday March 17, 2025 7:50 pm PDT by
All four iPhone 17 models launching later this year will feature an upgraded 24-megapixel front-facing camera, according to analyst Jeff Pu. In a research note today with investment firm GF Securities, Pu shared a chart in which he reiterated that the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will each be equipped with a 24-megapixel front camera. By comparison, all four ...
General iOS Mail Feature

iOS 18.3.2 Broke iCloud Mail Delivery

Monday March 17, 2025 3:31 pm PDT by
The iOS 18.3.2 update that Apple released last week appears to have broken iCloud Mail for some users. There are multiple complaints on Reddit and the MacRumors forums from users who say that iCloud Mail is not able to push new iCloud emails to their iPhones after the iOS 18.3.2 update. Affected users say that despite having the correct settings enabled, new iCloud emails are not showing up...
iphone 17 pro asherdipps

iPhone 17 Pro Max Rumors Allegedly Refer to 'iPhone 17 Ultra' Model

Friday March 14, 2025 7:56 am PDT by
If you've been following iPhone rumors over the last few years, you may remember reading reports that Apple flirted with the idea of introducing a super high-end "Ultra" model that would either replace its Pro Max device or sit above it in Apple's smartphone hirearchy. These reports appeared in the pre-launch iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 rumor cycles, but ultimately came to nothing. Now though, the...

Top Rated Comments

Chupa Chupa Avatar
148 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
148 months ago
iPhone 6 is my next iPad Mini.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Chupa Chupa Avatar
148 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
148 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
148 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
148 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)