“Another unofficial web tracker for checking the availability of Retina iPad mini models at Apple’s U.S. retail locations has surfaced, providing help to those attempting to purchase the supply-constrained device,” Richard Padilla reports for MacRumors.
“Obscurely hosted on marine life conservation website Seaturtle.org, the website offers a grid view of inventory checks of each Retina iPad Mini model for every Apple Retail Store in the United States, displaying a green, red, or white box for availability, unavailability, or non-checked information, respectively,” Padilla reports. “For model/location combinations that have not recently been checked, users are able to click on the cell content to update the data and check nearby stores. Users can also register for email notifications when specific models become available for pickup at their local stores”
Padilla reports, “Last week, Apple shut down tracking website Apple-Tracker.com, which was dedicated to monitoring in-store pickup availability of iPhone 5s and iPad Air models, citing a terms of use violation, and a similar fate will likely befall this new tracker as it continues to gain attention.”
More info in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Use it while it lasts.
God forbid that Apple customers have a useful retail store tracking system for products Apple can’t produce quickly enough. We’re not exactly sure what Apple’s thinking is here. Apple used to provide official product trackers for their retail stores. Perhaps it’s a legal issue? Were they getting sued by people for gas used to get to a store that ran out of the specific Apple product they were after during their trip or something?
Regardless, we thought Apple was supposed to make things easier for their customers, not more difficult. What part of ‘iPad Availability Tracker’ doesn’t Apple understand?
Related articles:
Apple invokes DMCA to kill Apple product tracker site Apple-Tracker.com – November 6, 2013
What part of ‘iPad 2 Availability Tracker’ doesn’t Apple understand? – March 14, 2011
Order yours on line and check the instore pickup option. That’s the official word on whether they have them in stock, AND they actually hold it for you, so that it’s not sold out between when you check and when you get there.
I was in Walmart today and I was behind a guy who bought over 21 iPad minis Retna displays, The policy is they allow three at time, but what he did was kept ring up as separate order to get to over 21 or more, and it does not seem right.
Well, it was at Walmart. What did you expect?
So, the Kenyan asswipe is now on the run. Good. I have a cattle prod to shove up his ass to keep him hopping
Better clean your own dung off of it, first.
Oddly, they don’t list the Lancaster, PA Apple Store.