iPad Mini 2 Release Date: Apple's Most Loved Retina-Powered Slate Still Difficult To Find In Stores

When it was announced in October alongside the design overhauled iPad Air, the iPad mini 2 automatically captured the market's attention, especially that it is packed with the company's popular Retina display. However, the iPad mini 2 release date was not specifically set back then, and only came to the market more than a week after the larger slate hit stores. 

But is Apple still on target when it comes to the Retina mini's supplies? In last Friday and Monday's sale, consumers were complaining that the iPad mini 2 was still very difficult to find. In a recent report by BGR, AppleInsider reported that an analyst surveyed 100 retailers to identify the supply and demand of the different Retina mini variations. 

He then found out that the Wi-Fi only model has sold out in about 13 percent of stores, while the cellular-enabled version has sold out in 20 percent of all Apple stores he visited. In third-party retailers such as Best Buy, the shortage was even worse with a sold out rate of over 50 percent. 

Yes, it is available in limited numbers in Apple's store, but aside from that retailers have been losing supplies, making us wonder whether the release was a good idea in the first place. 

Several months back, reports from Reuters and other notable media sites said that Apple is having a difficult time preparing all the Retina displays for the iPad mini 2s. Some reports even went as far as predicting that the Cupertino company will not be able to launch the device this year. 

Apple has proved the reports wrong when it announced the Retina mini more than a month ago, but is it really capable of delivering the demand of consumers entering the holiday season? 

We would soon find out.