14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has released a shopping / shipping guide for the Winter Holiday, informing customers when the last order can be placed for a Mac, iPad, iPhone, iPod, and various accessories.
A chart featuring order deadlines is offered, with Apple telling customers, “Just find your product below and place your order by midnight on the date shown. You can find out when your items will be delivered at checkout.”
Mac order deadlines include December 22 for MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac with next-day shipping, and December 18 for all the aforementioned Macs with standard shipping.
iPad order deadlines with next-day shipping are December 12 for iPad mini with Retina display, December 18 for regular iPad mini models, December 13 for iPad Air (or December 11 if you want it engraved with a greeting), and December 18 for iPad 2 (December 17 with an engraving).
iPhones can be ordered by December 18 the latest, and the same goes for iPads. If you choose next-day delivery, you can order a model on December 22. For accessories and other deadlines, see Apple’s Holiday Shipping guide.
Apple notes (in fine print) that “Unless otherwise specified, ordering deadlines are for in-stock products that ship within 24 hours. For custom-configured Mac models, ordering deadlines are for products that ship within 1-3 days.”
iPhone deadlines apply for “qualifying customers only,” which involves criteria such as carrier contracts.
Also worth noting is that “Next day shipping is not available on engraved iPads and iPods, custom Macs, iPad mini with Retina display, and iPhone 5s,” according to the Cupertino company.
As usual, Apple reserves the right to change the deadlines if necessary, “and product availability is not guaranteed,” reads the fine print.