I'm trying to activate a new iPad mini 4 and the activation server can't be released. Is apple having trouble today?
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Activation server can't be reached for new mini iPad 4
- Thread starter bigchief
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A lot of people are probably trying to activate new iDevices today. Severs might be a little overwhelmed. Be patient, and keep trying for now.
Yep, Christmas Day is the one day of the year that I wouldn't even bother trying to activate a new iDevice.
Lesson learned. Never buy an Apple device to be opened and use on Christmas Day. This new iPad Mini 4 128gb will not open over wifi or through iTunes after trying for 8 hours. Merry Christmas Apple.
ericwn
macrumors G5
Did you make sure it's not network related by trying to activate via another means of internet connectivity?
ericwn YOU DA MAN! Just tried using hotspot with my iPhone 6 (AT&T) and it worked!
ericwn
macrumors G5
Thanks much Sir, happy to hear it worked. It's unlikely that the world's biggest and very customer experience focussed company has their server farm down over the holidays, so I took a wild guess and thought the issue is somewhere in the current network config. Enjoy the device - and hope your frustration turns into a good time!
Cheers,
E.
DynaFXD
macrumors 6502a
Well, obviously that was not the issue -thumbs up-, but considering Apple rolls out huge releases, the whole premise was kinda silly, IMHO. Now myself, OTOH, went on the cheap and got an Apple Certified Refurb iPad Pro 12.9. 5 minutes into the activation the system shut down, came back up with a screen looking like it was sand blasted with fushia sand, shut down and never came back (despite reasonably heroic efforts). So MY lesson is that certified refurbished are crap that should be avoided year round. Sorry for the thread hijack, but even at the end of the day, still kinda stings.
ericwn
macrumors G5
Ouch, that sucks, but thanks for sharing your experience! Seems that the issue didn't really surface before or was so intermittent that the technician didn't see it.
If it's any comfort to you, many people in Mac forums love their refurbished stuff and made good experiences with it (while enjoying the savings + full warranty).
Maybe give it another try with another device?
Just keep trying. The internet is generally being hammered this time of year, especially Christmas Day. Just think of all those devices people have got that connect to the internet, and all the media being streamed.
EDIT: ah I see you got it working 🙂
DynaFXD
macrumors 6502a
Oh, I did 🙂 I missed most of the new unit sales. Target's sale was still going on, but not the greatest deal and selection is crap. I hit up eBay and found a used 128 GB Cellular 12.9 iPPro for about the same as I was going to pay for a 32GB Wifi only refurb. Sure, you take your chances. But, at this point I'll go with a used unit that is operating properly -cross fingers- than something a technician passed through QA to get a "certified" badge. This will be #6. The amount of use that the others get justified a 12.9-inch model in the stable, IMHO. Good to hear your issues were sorted as well 🙂
I seem to remember a few years back that so many people were trying to activate Apple products that the servers actually crashed for a bit.
Glad to see you finally got it up and running. That mini 4 is a fun device.
