iPad Air Inventory Expected to Be Ample

The iPad Air is set to launch tomorrow, with online orders most likely starting at midnight PT, and Apple Stores and other retail locations opening up in the morning. However, people have already spotted iPad Airs on store shelves, including in Walmart, where price tags have already been placed on units and are ready to sell.

Walmart’s price for the iPad Air is seeing a special $20 discount, where you can get the WiFi 16GB model for $479, and if you’d rather save a bit of cash, you can grab the fourth-generation iPad at Walmart for $449 brand new. The $30 price difference, however, is negligible, so if you’re wanting an iPad, it’s best to just get the iPad Air in this instance.

Furthermore, according to 9to5Mac, the iPad Air will be in plentiful stock on launch day, with multiple larger Apple Stores in the US receiving anywhere from 500 to 1000 units to sell, and inventory shouldn’t be a problem going into the holiday season.

The iPad mini with Retina display, however, is said to be a different story. Inventory of the second-generation iPad mini is said to be in low stock when it eventually releases later next month, and inventory won’t pick back up until early 2014, according to multiple sources.

The iPhone 5s saw a similar status, meaning that the iPad mini with Retina display could have the same fate as the gold iPhone 5s, where they sell out within minutes online and only a few stores having them in stock. In any case, the new tablet will most likely sell out quickly online, with physical location selling out before brunch time.

Both the iPad Air and the iPad mini with Retina display are big updates compared to their predecessors. The iPad Air rocks the 64-bit A7 processor and a new body design, while the new iPad mini now comes with a high-resolution Retina display and much faster internal. The first iPad mini was a slight disappointment to many people, coming only with last-gen hardware and a low-resolution display, but seeing as the new one is a big improvement, it’ll most likely sell like hotcakes.