As you are probably well aware of if you are still trying to procure one at a store, Apple’s iPad 2 is still impossible to find at a normal retail outlet. A quick call to a couple of local Apple Stores revealed that if you want to get one from them, you’ll have to wait in line in the early morning without a guarantee that there will be a new shipment that day.
Screw that.
Developer Garrett Murray has found a neat way to check if your local Target has them in stock from the comfort of your computer:
Over the past few days, I’ve been running this script every 30 minutes or so, and I began to notice a trend. It looks like most Target stores get a fulfillment of iPad 2s around 11AM on weekdays. Generally, I’ve only seen the 16GB models in this area (which, luckily, I was looking for), but your mileage may vary. From what I can tell, stock arrives at about 11AM, and is gone generally within 30 minutes. Based on phone calls (and what I saw today and heard from Target employees), they’re only getting around 3-5 per shipment.
The script he refers to is something Mr. Murray wrote based off of a MacRumors forum discovery that Target makes their (frequently updated) inventory numbers public. If you’re less technically inclined, just use that link to be on your way to searching for your iPad 2.
If you’re comfortable using terminal command lines, you can use this script:
echo “iPad 2 Wi-Fi White 16GB: “; curl -s –data “_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&asin=&dpci=057-10-1839&zipcode=90210&city=&state=”http://sites.target.com/site/en/spot/mobile_fiats_results.jsp?_DARGS=/site/en/spot/mobile_fiats.jsp | grep -A 2 strong | sed -e ‘s/<p><strong>//’ -e ‘s/<\/strong><br\/>//’ -e ‘s/<br \/>//’ -e ‘s/<\/p>//’ -e ‘s/–//’ -e ‘s/^[ \t]*//;s/[ \t]*$//’
Just be sure to change the zip code and dpci code to match your location and model desired.
I can personally attest to this method as I checked this morning at around 11am for a 16 GB white model. Sure enough, one of the Targets nearby me had them in stock. After a quick call to verify that they had them in stock, I rushed over to pick up one. (They had a total of 3 in their shipment)
It’s a little more effort than just waltzing into any ol’ store, but it sure beats waiting in line like a herd of cattle early in the morning. We’re technologically gifted, why not use that knowledge to get a leg up on the masses?
Good luck!
