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You’ve bought your shiny new iPad, taken it home and unwrapped it with that sense of childlike wonder they bang on about in the adverts — then not five minutes later Apple brings out the iPad mini. Fortunately, some Apple Stores will exchange the tablet if you bought it in the last month… if you’re lucky.
Some branches have decided to offer an exchange of a shiny new iPad mini for a full-sized new iPad bought in the last month, but swapping is done at the discretion of individual stores. It’s not an official company-wide policy, so check with your local Apple Store before demanding swapsies.
The standard returns period is 14 days, so if you bought your iPad in the last two weeks you can take it back and swap it anyway if the siren song of the iPad mini is too strong, or if you want to try 4G. The iPad mini and the new, revamped full-sized iPad both work with the UK’s first 4G network, which is launched by EE in less than a week.
CNET first reported the possibility of pulling the ol’ swithcheroo at the Stockton Street store in San Francisco. Would British Apple Stores be so keen to exchange one tablet for t’other? We hit the phones to find out.
Phone lines are jammed with inquisitive Apple fans for the stores in Covent Garden, Manchester and Liverpool, but I did get through to the Brighton Store. A friendly Applenaut told me they have no news yet, but as it stands there are no plans to offer an exchange beyond the existing two week returns period.
No joy there then, but bear in mind that’s barely a few minutes after the Apple Store opened this morning, and the policy could change. We’ll keep you posted with more official word when we get it.
The iPad mini sports a 7.9-inch display, smaller than the current iPad’s 9.7-inch screen — and it’s skinnier to boot. But many CNET readers are disappointed with the mini, and don’t think it has the chops to take on the substantially cheaper Android-powered Google Nexus 7.
Will you stick with your iPad — or twist with the iPad mini? Is your local Apple Store willing to swap? And does it matter if your new gadget is quickly replaced by a new version, or do we deserve to know our new kit is the latest thing for a set length of time? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.
