iPad Showing Up Early To Expedited Shipping Customers

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Gizmodo posted a story yesterday asking whether or not paying $12 extra for expedited iPad shipping was really worth it. It seemed that no matter the shipping method, people were going to get their iPads this Saturday, April 3rd. Well it turns out that Apple had a nice surprise in store for those who opted for expedited shipping: early delivery. Like, today.

There’s a problem, though. According to several Techland readers, UPS is leaving iPad shipments on people’s doorsteps if they’re not home to accept the packages. One reader sent in the above photo with the following text:

“I dropped my wife off at work this morning and returned home to find that UPS had left a box on my porch. Pretty clear to see what was inside thanks to the big Apple logo. The weird thing is that my tracking number still shows that it’s being delivered this Saturday. I live in a residential neighborhood so it wasn’t that big of a deal but I’d be kind of worried if I lived in the city.”

So if you pre-ordered an iPad and paid for expedited shipping, you may want to make sure you’re either home today or see if you can get someone to swing by your place to pick it up.

We contacted Apple for comment and received the following response:

“Due to the excitement of the iPad, we’ve authorized our shippers to leave packages in secure locations to ensure that anyone who pre-ordered the iPad will receive shipments even if they aren’t home at the time of delivery. While we understand this may cause concern for some, this decision was made in the best interest of our customers. We feel confident that, especially in light of Saturday shipments, iPad owners would rather have the device left in a secure location instead of having to wait until Monday for re-delivery.”

The statement went on to say that customers who don’t want their packages left “in a secure location” can contact Apple directly using a special online form and request signature confirmation for their delivery.