
When Apple launches orders for the iPad Air this upcoming Friday, the company will reportedly accept requests for Personal Pickup. With Personal Pickup being made available, prospective buyers can reserve an iPad Air online beginning at 12:01 am Pacific Time and pick it up at a nearby Apple retail location later that same day without waiting in line. The reason it’s strange to see launch day availability of Personal Pickup is because it’s unusual for Apple to offer it. The company didn’t offer the choice for the iPad 2, which was the last tablet offered without pre-orders. It didn’t initially offer in-store pickup of the iPhone 5C either, despite the fact that supplies of the phone were supposedly readily available.
Although Apple has elected not to accept pre-orders for the iPad Air, it appears that supplies of the tablet are plentiful with no significant shortages expected. While supplies of the iPad Air don’t appear to be constrained, the same can’t be said for the Retina iPad mini. The tablet which doesn’t’ have a solid release date may not be widely available until early 2014.
Originally revealed last week, the new iPad Air weighs in at a point and is 20% thinner and 28% lighter than Apple’s previous fourth-gen iPad. Along with a Retina display, the device includes an A7 processor, an M7 motion coprocessor and a 5-megapixel rear camera. Available in white/silver and black/space gray, the iPad Air 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.
Online orders will be accepted beginning at 12:01 AM Pacific Time in the US and varying times in other countries. The Apple retail stores in the US will open at 8:00 AM local time for in-store pickup as well.
Source: MacRumors
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