Four of the six iPad Mini SKUs were reportedly sold out on the Apple online store only 36 hours after pre-orders opened on Friday in select regions.
The iPad Mini was revealed by Apple last week after months of speculation, and features a 7.9-inch display and starts at $329 for the 16GB models. The price tag has been widely criticised for failing to compete with the pricing of other seven-inch tablets currently in the market, such as the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD, which both retail for $199.
Apple has, however, remained resolute in its stance that the iPad Mini is in a different league to standard seven-inch tablets, claiming it still offers users the full iPad experience.
The iPad Mini is available in the same colour schemes as the iPhone 5, and the white models have proven to be the most popular so far in pre-orders, with all SKUs selling out. The black 16GB model also sold out online at the weekend, with its shipping date being pushed back several weeks. The new device officially goes on sale on 2 November in select countries.
CNBC technology correspondent Jon Fortt has said Apple selling out of all 16GB iPad Minis in less than 36 hours is "a big deal" given the fact that Apple most probably stocked more of those models than any other. Apple has not yet revealed official numbers.
More for less
Meanwhile, Apple's competitors are hitting back at the iPad Mini as the so-called 'tiny tablet' wars scale up.
Amazon is using its homepage as a platform to compare the Kindle Fire HD to the iPad Mini, even using a quote from Gizmodo that states: "...your [Apple's] 7.9-inch tablet has far fewer pixels than the competing seven-inch tablets! You're cramming a worse screen in there, charging more, and accusing others of compromise? Ballsy."
While Apple has punted the iPad Mini's extra 0.9 inches as providing 35% more display area, The Amazon ad states: "Much more for much less" and points out that the Kindle Fire HD has an HD display with 30% more pixels (216ppi as opposed to 163ppi) than the iPad Mini.
Amazon has also said Kindle Fire HD sales have been better than usual following the iPad Mini announcement. "Wednesday was the $199 Kindle Fire HD's biggest day of sales since launch and up 3x week over week," said Amazon in a statement to AllThingsD.
At the iPad Mini launch event, Apple directly compared the device to the Nexus 7 from Google and Asus. Google was expected to hit back with the unveiling of updated versions of the Nexus 7 today, along with a new 10-inch higher-end tablet which it has been developing with Samsung. However, the event has been cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy.
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