Alexandra Burlacu
Apple is reportedly planning to make its Personal Pickup option available to customers who want to snag an iPad Air on launch day, Nov. 1.
The newly-announced iPad Air is set to make its commercial debut on Friday, Nov. 1, and the Personal Pickup option, if true, would mark a rather odd move for Apple. The company chose not to accept pre-orders for the iPad Air ahead of Friday's release and new Apple products are usually constrained at launch.
However, an Apple Retail source told MacRumors that Apple will make the iPad Air available for in-store pickup on launch day. Stores are set to open at 8 a.m. local time on Nov. 1 for the new iPad Air's launch. The online store is set to start taking orders for home delivery at 12:01 a.m. PT on the same day.
If Apple does make its Personal Pickup option available for the iPad Air, it means that interested customers can reserve the tablet online starting at 12:01 a.m. PT and pick it up at a close-by Apple store the same day, without having to wait in line.
Despite the fact that the company is putting the iPad Air up for pre-order, the purported Personal Pickup option suggests that Apple has strong supply for the fifth-generation iPad. If the company wouldn't be confident it could meet demand during the launch weekend a Personal Pickup option would surely be out of the question.
The fifth-generation iPad has been renamed as the iPad Air because it is thinner and lighter than any of its predecessors. In fact, Apple boasts that it's the lightest full-size tablet in the world. The iPad Air will most likely see strong demand, but Apple seems confident that it can take it.
On the other hand, the iPad Mini with Retina display, which was unveiled alongside the iPad Air, is expected to be in the opposite situation, with various reports claiming that it would face supply issues at launch. While Apple announced a specific Nov. 1 launch date for the iPad Air, it only said that the iPad Mini would become available "later in November." Word has it that the second-generation iPad Mini may face supply issues due to the high-resolution panel.
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