Apple started selling its highly commended 12.9-inch iPad Pro on Nov. 12, but fans who did not preorder the Smart Keyboards and Pencil stylus are in for quite a long wait.
The official Apple website shows that customers must wait between four and five weeks to receive the Smart Keyboard and the dedicated Pencil stylus for iPad Pro.
Even more disturbing for iOS enthusiasts, the in-store purchasing option is unavailable this time. However, if you can bear the thought of ordering an iPad Pro sans Pencil and sans Smart Keyboard, your waiting time shortens to only five to seven business days.
The 32 GB variant of iPad Pro ships in just one day, with zero accessories.
Most Apple brick and mortar stores claim to have the 32 GB iPad Pro in stock, but finding a Wi-Fi and LTE 128 GB iPad Pro model can prove to be a daunting quest.
When asked about the availability of Pencils and Smart Keyboards, employees at Apple Stores in New York confirmed that the supply of accessories was scarce to begin with. Salespeople at Apple's Grand Central Store, as well as those from the West 14th Street Store, declared that the Smart Keyboard and Pencils spotted in the shops served only demo purposes.
A salesperson from Apple did mention that preorders of the Smart Keyboard and Pencil were honored in time and confirmed that the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard found in Apple Retail stores are in limited supply.
"Our stores will continue to receive regular shipments and we encourage customers to visit Apple.com for online availability and delivery dates," an Apple spokesperson told Mashable.
iPad Pro owners who don't want to to sit around for another month waiting for the Smart Keyboard can choose Logitech's iPad Pro compatible keyboard instead. The peripheral device can be bought either on Apple's web page or in its stores. It costs $149.95, i.e. $20 less than the dedicated iPad Pro external keyboard.
When it comes to the stylus option for the iPad, the good news is that many styluses play well with Apple's slate. However, none of them features the angle detection and palm rejection of the Apple Pencil.
Low supply is uncommon for Apple, but precedents do exist. At the beginning of 2015, for instance, Apple Watch buyers had to wait in order to get bands of specific colors.
The notable difference is that the Apple Watch worked just the same, regardless of band color, whereas the iPad Pro needs a Smart Keyboard and Pencil to show its maximum potential.
