iPad Air Release Date Personal Pickup Option Likely

The iPad Air release date is Friday November 1st and a new rumors claims Apple will allow users to reserve an iPad Air for pickup at a local Apple Store starting at midnight for pickup on release day.

Apple did not take iPad Air pre-orders, just as it did not take iPhone 5s pre-orders last month. The iPad Air is the device many nicknamed the iPad 5 ahead of the announcement because it is the 5th generation iPad.

Read: Best iPad Air Cases

Apple does not typically take iPad or iPhone reservations for personal pickup on release date, instead forcing customers to line up outside retail stores before they open. With personal pickup options, most items are available for pickup within an hour of placing the order.

A source talking to MacRumors claims Apple will take iPad Air orders for personal pickup starting at midnight Pacific time on Friday November 1st. That would mean users on Eastern time would need to get up at 3:01 AM to order an iPad Air for release day pickup at an official Apple Store.

The iPad Air order page shows orders start on November 1st and list the personal pickup option on the right side, though no stores currently have the iPad Air in stock.

If this pans out it could be the easiest way to buy the iPad Air model you want at a local Apple Store without waiting in line or chancing that the model is out of stock. This is not the perfect solution as users who live hours away from an Apple Store will not be able to use a similar solution to reserve an iPad Air at Best Buy or a wireless carrier.

Apple offers a personal pickup option for the new MacBook Pro with Retina Display, something it started days after the announcement. Apple also offers an iPhone 5s personal pickup option online, if the store has one in stock, which is still an issue for the gold iPhone 5s.

MacRumors claims the iPad Air supplies are plentiful, which would make sense if Apple does follow through and offer a personal pickup option for the iPad Air late Thursday night or Friday morning when online orders are expected to start. Apple is opening Apple Stores at 8 AM on the iPad Air release date and Best Buy is also opening early.

The iPad Air is the new version of Apple’s full size iPad with a 9.7-inch Retina Display and a new slimmer, lighter design. The new iPad Air weighs 1 pound and uses a new Apple A7 processor that pairs with iOS 7 and an 5MP iSight camera on the rear.