iPad mini 6 pre-orders are up and running, and those who have ordered their compact tablet first will be receiving their devices as soon as this Friday. However, U.S.-based Apple customers who are still eyeing the new iPad mini 6 may have to wait a while since the shipping estimates have been extended all the way into November.
The delay may be affecting other regions as well. We tried ordering the purple iPad mini 6 with 256GB of storage and received an estimated delivery between October 21 and November 4. Yikes.
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The latest generation of Apple's compact tablet should be worth the wait. In our iPad mini 6 review, our editor Henry T. Casey highlighted the tablet's powerful performance, portable design and bright display. The iPad mini 6 sports the same A15 Bionic chip that is seen in Apple's latest iPhone 13 lineup and Apple Pencil 2 support. Add in long battery life and it's easy to see why this tablet seems to be in high demand.
Apparently, the wait time depends on the iPad mini 6 color you choose more than it does on the storage capacity. Last time we checked, for the Pink iPad mini 6 you may be looking at around a 3-4 week wait for shipping, while the Starlight or Purple options take even longer with the Apple website indicating 4-6 weeks.
However, the U.K. Apple online store appears to have not been affected. We tried adding different colors and configurations to the cart, and the soonest delivery estimate comes up as September 27-19th (so next week).
It's only been a week since the iPad mini 6 was unveiled during Apple's September event, and it's no surprise that many felt compelled to pre-order Cupertino's latest compact tablet as soon as it became available. The shipping delays probably have to do with Apple's struggle to cope with demand. After all, this wouldn't be the first time that such delays take place soon after a new product launch.
Shortly after this year's Spring Loaded event, customers experienced similar shipping delays with the iPad Pro 2021. The launch of the device came somewhat unexpected, but the M1-powered tablet quickly became one of the best tablets overall. As a result, Apple may have received more orders than it could handle, so the shipping estimates got pushed to 3-4 weeks.
