iPad Mini: Could Apple have messed up the iPad Mini Launch Anymore?

[smiddlehurst]

Originally Posted by shenan1982

Tell me that's not a story worth being upset about.

Okay, it's not a story worth being upset about. Let's break this down:

You bought a WiFi iPad for a feature that isn't listed anywhere on Apple's web site, was rumoured a year or more back when tethering came in but was widely disproved and two minutes searching on-line would have shown this. Sucks that you were given bad info (I'm assuming by Apple but you don't specify) but it's an accident, nothing more, and if it was a critical feature you really should have read up on it yourself IMO.

On the delivery date you're getting upset about a difference of ten days. Again, a minor annoyance but no more than that surely? Or have we really become so impatient as a society that a two week delay is the end of the world?

You buy a unit in-store and it has four dead pixels... Umm, without wishing to sound rude, these things do happen. Some units will be faulty, especially when you're talking about millions of devices being sold. You actually got a genius appointment pretty quickly considering the time of year and number of new product launches, when I had an issue with my first iPhone recently wait time for any store in London was over a week. They offer to replace with a 'brown box' unit which... uh, is different from a retail model how? Another fault is unlucky but they sorted it out for you there and then so no harm done.

So to be honest I'm not entirely sure how you get from there to Worst. Launch. Ever! You had a couple of minor problems, one of which was more-or-less self inflicted (the GPS thing, if you know enough to ask that question and it's a necessary feature for you do your own research on top to make sure). I do have sympathy for your luck mind, I've been there myself often enough to be on a first name basis with my local store manager (last few years have seen my Macbook Pro, iMac, iPhone 5 and iPod Nano all doing this dance) but Apple always do their best to make things right and no product range will ever see a failure rate of 0%. To then extrapolate your own experiences out to encompass the whole of Apple's launch is, frankly, ridiculous.

From what I've seen and the posts on this forum I'd say they've done pretty well. No major faults, definite reduction in cosmetic problems from the iPhone 5 in fact all the complaints seem to be over a lack of retina.

[pooleman]

Originally Posted by shenan1982

10/27 - Ordered the Mini WiFi, was told I could tether it to my iPhone 5 and get GPS

11/02 - Mini WiFi comes, tethering carrying GPS statement was inaccurate. need cellular

11/02 - Ordered Cellular Mini, Est Delivery 11/16

11/04 - Site updated my delivery from "Delivers 11/16" to "Ships Mid November"

11/07 - I received email from Apple saying "We will be shipping your iPad within 5 days"

11/12 - 5 days passed. No shipment.

11/13 - Apple site updated showing my order delivers 11/21

11/16 - I get shipping notice that says "Shipped: Delivers 11/22"

11/16 - I call FedEx and they said Apple missed the cutoff and as a result, the true delivery date would be 11/26

11/17 - I go into store and buy the Mini Cellular, and plan to return the one shipped to me.

11/17 - I get home, set up the Mini, and it has FOUR dead pixels

11/17 - I call the store back and they said all they can do is make me an appointment at the genius bar for two days later, and replace it with a brown box "refurb"

11/18 - I go into another store, and they happen to have them, and exchange it. I try it in the store, and it powers up, the screen flashed, then the entire right side of the screen died. Ouch. They exchanged it again, and now I SEEM to have one that works.


Tell me that's not a story worth being upset about.

Go to the Genius Bar. The lte ipad was just released. The brown box replacements should not be "refurbished".

[identity]

Originally Posted by shenan1982

You can do anything on an iPhone you can do on an iPad but clearly that doesn't stop people from buying both.

You can't do everything that you can do on the iPhone on the iPad. Clearly you can't use GPS capabilities in wifi iPads and what you said just contradicts with your posts.

[shenan1982]

Originally Posted by identity

You can't do everything that you can do on the iPhone on the iPad. Clearly you can't use GPS capabilities in wifi iPads and what you said just contradicts with your posts.

I said you can do anything on an iPhone you can do on an iPad. I didn't say you can do anything on an iPad that you can do on an iPhone. You seem to be trolling to pick a fight. At least read what you're responding to so you don't look foolish.

[davideotape]

yes they could have messed it up much much worse. here are just a few examples of how they could have messed this up.

- they could have shipped every customer a banana instead of an ipad. can you IMAGINE the faces on people who ordered an ipad mini only to receive a single uneaten ripe banana? i don't know about you but *i* certainly can't!!!
- they could have just kept the money, packed up and moved to acapulco, never to be heard from again.
- they could have told people they were already inside their house and had people tearing up couches looking for the thing!!!
- they could have *literally* launched ipad minis into the sky with names of customers on them and asked the public to make sure they got to their rightful owners!!!
- they could have used invisible ink on the shipping address label!!!

seriously though isn't every launch somewhat problematic? it looks like it was just your turn to be on the receiving end of one of the issues. i know i've been there and patience isn't my thing, but i don't presume to think the entire process is the worst ever just because i wasn't very lucky this time.