iPad Air Shipments Arriving at Apple Stores Ahead of Launch

Apple retail stores around the world are receiving shipments of new devices that are likely to be the new iPad Air models, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

ipad air 2020 roundup header
In a tweet, Gurman said that new devices have started arriving at Apple Stores "for opening at a later date." These new devices are likely the iPad Airs that are set to go on sale at some point in October as it's too early for the iPhones to be arriving in stores as of yet.

When the new ‌iPad Air‌ models were unveiled during Apple's September 15 event, there was no specific launch date provided beyond October. Because the new ‌iPad Air‌ models use the same A14 chip that's in the iPhone 12 lineup, Apple may have been holding back to prevent benchmarks and details on the chip from leaking out ahead of the ‌iPhone‌ announcement.

If that was the plan, it didn't work and A14 benchmarks leaked out anyway, so we at least know we can expect great performance from both the new ‌iPad Air‌ and the ‌iPhone‌ 12 lineup.

With ‌iPad Air‌ shipments arriving at retail stores, we could potentially see a launch as soon as Tuesday, October 13, after the Apple event, but there's still no concrete word on when the new tablets are coming out.

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

Top Rated Comments

cobioguy Avatar
46 months ago

I'm really surprised online ordering didn't start today. Maybe they are waiting until next Friday when they also open it up for iPhone 12 orders.
I think they are waiting for their back to school promotion to expire Monday
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
satchmo Avatar
46 months ago

I agree. Infuriating, really. Because of COVID, you would think Apple would have ramped up iPad production/supply chain/consumer-retail value chain, etc. They've had 1/2 the year. iPads of all stripes have been sold out for weeks, and my kids are suffering in school without a device. If sales are down, they have themselves to blame. It's not like there wasn't a demand for the things.
There was a story that Foxconn was running at full capacity 24/7 cranking out Apple products. These factories are huge employing thousands of workers likely also having to deal with Covid restrictions and safety measures.

I can understand being frustrated at supply, but I think sometimes we take things for granted not realizing the enormous demand and quantities that are being produced.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dwalls90 Avatar
46 months ago
The release of this iPad is just bizarre. If stock is hitting stores then after the event makes most sense to me.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
easy4lif Avatar
46 months ago
They go on sale immediately after Tuesday event. There’s got to be a warehouse full of them ready to go.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Caliber26 Avatar
46 months ago
I really wish this iPad would’ve kept its $499 price point. You guys think we could see Black Friday deals for this iPad even though it’s so new?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
carrrrrlos Avatar
46 months ago
Available next week! :)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Announces 'Let Loose' Event on May 7 Amid Rumors of New iPads

Tuesday April 23, 2024 7:11 am PDT by
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of "Let Loose" and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
Apple Silicon AI Optimized Feature Siri

Apple Releases Open Source AI Models That Run On-Device

Wednesday April 24, 2024 3:39 pm PDT by
Apple today released several open source large language models (LLMs) that are designed to run on-device rather than through cloud servers. Called OpenELM (Open-source Efficient Language Models), the LLMs are available on the Hugging Face Hub, a community for sharing AI code. As outlined in a white paper [PDF], there are eight total OpenELM models, four of which were pre-trained using the...
Apple Vision Pro Dual Loop Band Orange Feature 2

Apple Cuts Vision Pro Shipments as Demand Falls 'Sharply Beyond Expectations'

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:44 am PDT by
Apple has dropped the number of Vision Pro units that it plans to ship in 2024, going from an expected 700 to 800k units to just 400k to 450k units, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Orders have been scaled back before the Vision Pro has launched in markets outside of the United States, which Kuo says is a sign that demand in the U.S. has "fallen sharply beyond expectations." As a...
iOS 18 Siri Integrated Feature

iOS 18 Rumored to Add These 10 New Features to Your iPhone

Wednesday April 24, 2024 2:05 pm PDT by
Apple is set to unveil iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on June 10, so the software update is a little over six weeks away from being announced. Below, we recap rumored features and changes planned for the iPhone with iOS 18. iOS 18 will reportedly be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, with new ChatGPT-inspired generative AI features, a more customizable Home Screen, and much more....
iPad And Calculator App Feature

Apple Finally Plans to Release a Calculator App for iPad Later This Year

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:08 am PDT by
Apple is finally planning a Calculator app for the iPad, over 14 years after launching the device, according to a source familiar with the matter. iPadOS 18 will include a built-in Calculator app for all iPad models that are compatible with the software update, which is expected to be unveiled during the opening keynote of Apple's annual developers conference WWDC on June 10. AppleInsider...