Apple Store Down Ahead of iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 Pre-Orders

Apple has taken its online store down to prepare for the launch of iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 pre-orders. When Apple announced the two new tablets, it said pre-orders would be available starting on October 17, although the company did not specify when exactly pre-orders would start.

Given the short amount of time between the announcement of the iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini 3 and the start of pre-orders, it is unclear whether other retailers and carriers will be prepared to offer iPad pre-orders.

ipadmini3ipadair2comparison
Apple's iPad Air 2, which includes several upgrades like Touch ID, an A8X chip, an improved camera, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and an anti-reflective screen, is available in 16, 64, and 128GB capacities. Pricing in the United States starts at $499 for the entry-level 16GB Wi-Fi only model and goes as high as $849 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular 128GB model.

The iPad mini 3, which has been updated with Touch ID and a new gold color option, is also available in 16, 64, and 128GB configurations. Pricing for the iPad mini 3 begins at $399 for the Wi-Fi only 16GB model and goes as high as $729 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular 128GB model.

Apple has not announced when the iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini 3 will be in stores or when the two tablets will begin shipping out to customers, giving only an availability date of "later next week."

Related Roundups: iPad, iPad mini
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Use Same Rear Chassis as iPhone 16

Friday July 19, 2024 7:16 am PDT by
Apple will adopt the same rear chassis manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 that it is using for the upcoming standard iPhone 16, claims a new rumor coming out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker "Fixed Focus Digital," the backplate manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 is "exactly the same" as the standard model in Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 lineup, which is expected to...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Just Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Monday July 15, 2024 4:44 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
bsod

Crowdstrike Says Global IT Outage Impacting Windows PCs, But Mac and Linux Hosts Not Affected

Friday July 19, 2024 3:12 am PDT by
A widespread system failure is currently affecting numerous Windows devices globally, causing critical boot failures across various industries, including banks, rail networks, airlines, retailers, broadcasters, healthcare, and many more sectors. The issue, manifesting as a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), is preventing computers from starting up properly and forcing them into continuous recovery...
iphone 14 lineup

Cellebrite Unable to Unlock iPhones on iOS 17.4 or Later, Leak Reveals

Thursday July 18, 2024 4:18 am PDT by
Israel-based mobile forensics company Cellebrite is unable to unlock iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, according to leaked documents verified by 404 Media. The documents provide a rare glimpse into the capabilities of the company's mobile forensics tools and highlight the ongoing security improvements in Apple's latest devices. The leaked "Cellebrite iOS Support Matrix" obtained by 404 Media...
Apple Watch Series 9

2024 Apple Watch Lineup: Key Changes We're Expecting

Tuesday July 16, 2024 7:59 am PDT by
Apple is seemingly planning a rework of the Apple Watch lineup for 2024, according to a range of reports from over the past year. Here's everything we know so far. Apple is expected to continue to offer three different Apple Watch models in five casing sizes, but the various display sizes will allegedly grow by up to 12% and the casings will get taller. Based on all of the latest rumors,...
tinypod apple watch

TinyPod Turns Your Apple Watch Into an iPod

Wednesday July 17, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
If you have an old Apple Watch and you're not sure what to do with it, a new product called TinyPod might be the answer. Priced at $79, the TinyPod is a silicone case with a built-in scroll wheel that houses the Apple Watch chassis. When an Apple Watch is placed inside the TinyPod, the click wheel on the case is able to be used to scroll through the Apple Watch interface. The feature works...

Top Rated Comments

ghsDUDE Avatar
127 months ago
The iPad Air 2 is the only reasonable upgrade. I can't believe what they did to the Mini 3.

With 5 options Apple's iPad lineup is a mess.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rogifan Avatar
127 months ago
It seems fairly obvious -- why emphasize a spec that, by design, they intend to upgrade very slowly to preserve margins, and is also poorly understood by non-tech savvy consumers, the bulk of Apple's market.

It's obvious they don't want to talk about it (Ars Technica asked yesterday but Apple refused to say). Yet there's plenty they talk about that non-tech savvy consumers wouldn't understand. Apple should be able to own the decisions they make. If they feel 1GB RAM is sufficient in the iPad then own it, don't hide it.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nozuka Avatar
127 months ago
with ipads you can usually just walk into a store and get one on launch day..
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Royksöpp Avatar
127 months ago
I think they need to cull a couple from their lineup and keep things simple. Although cheaper iPads do get people into the ecosystem, it just seems complex, especially for people who aren't a member of a forum like this and know tech. Apple prided themselves on simplicity.

Steve Jobs would have bitch slapped the person who came up with the idea of selling 5 iPads simultaneously.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mlody Avatar
127 months ago
When I see those messages "apple store down" I think, what a bunch of amateurs. Who does this stuff like this in this time and age? Don't they have development and stage environments where they can update the sites internally ahead of time and test everything and just make the new stuff available in the flip of the switch?
I do not think of any e-comerce website that shuts down its operations for several hours just to put 2 new products online? Doesn't that hurt the revenue? Imagine if Amazon was down for half a day so they could add few new products? It seems like Apple still in 90's when it comes to this process - unbelievable.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ArtOfWarfare Avatar
127 months ago
Was just going to report this.

About freaking time - I've been refreshing and trying to buy it for the past 2 hours now. I don't want to be one of the people who gets an estimated delivery time of December - my fiancee's birthday is in late November and this is what I plan to get her (she's been asking for one for the past 2 years. I just got a pay raise this year, so now is the time.)
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)