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Apple's Retina iPad mini trickles into US carrier stores as Apple Store ship times improve

Apple appears to have made some headway in iPad mini with Retina display production, as the device is now showing up at Verizon and AT&T stores across the nation, while the Apple Store's ship-by dates improve to one to three business days.

As noted by CNET, AT&T's Web-based "in-store availability" checker is showing supply of various Retina iPad mini versions at locations around the U.S. Verizon, too, is receiving stock as its website now quotes shipping dates of Saturday, while spot checks find select brick-and-mortar outlets with batches of the device.

The refreshed supply comes three weeks after AT&T was quoting ship-by dates of 21 days or more. At the time, Verizon was also short, with anticipated ship-by dates pushed out ten or more days.

Ship dates from Apple's own online store have improved to one to three days, up from five to ten in November, indicating Retina iPad mini production is finally catching up to demand. As of this writing, the Online Apple Store is showing the same one to three day ship times for all models, including Wi-Fi + Cellular on all four major carriers.

Apple launched the iPad mini with Retina display in November after the company announced the device in late October without specifying a firm release date.

Even before the device hit store shelves, industry insiders were saying Apple was facing severe supply constraints of the mini's Retina panels. During the company's quarterly conference call for the fourth quarter of 2014, CEO Tim Cook hinted at manufacturing issues, saying, "It's unclear whether we will have enough for the quarter or not."