How to reserve an iPad when you don’t live in the US
I just reserved an iPad.
As a developer I need one so I can test future versions of my apps on an actual device. And as an early adopter I crave one because I want to play with it before everyone around me has one.
Unfortunately Apple doesn’t sell the iPad in Canada yet and I do want to get mine as soon as possible. As a Canadian I can’t just order one at Apple’s US website since you need a US credit card linked to a US address to shop in the US online Apple Store.
But as a Canadian (and any other nationality) you can reserve an iPad and that’s what I did. I’ll pick it up (or have a family member pick it up) on April 3rd in a brick and mortar Apple Store that is located near the Canadian border. (Coincidentally April 3rd is very close to my birthday on April Fools Day, so I have yet another good excuse to get an iPad now.)
One only needs a US iTunes account to reserve an iPad, and that is easy to obtain, even without a credit card.
Here’s how you can reserve an iPad, in 23 easy steps:
- Start iTunes
- Go to the iTunes Store
- Log out of your regular account if you see your email address on the top right by clicking it and clicking the “Sign Out”- button
- Click on the flag icon on the bottom right
- Change to the US store by selecting the US flag in the next screen
- Now search for a free app
- Buy the free app
- iTunes will ask you to sign in: Press the “Create New Account”-button
- Navigate to the next few screens by filling in the necessary details.
- Make sure you enter a valid email address, and your real birthday in case you forget the password. In case you have no email address that’s not already linked to the Apple store you could use an email alias at MailExpire.com
- When you reach the screen where you have to enter your address (with the credit card pictograms) make sure you select “None” as the payment method.
- Enter an address in the US; this can be a real address but if you don’t have one that’s not really necessary. If you need a zip code use 94111, San Francisco and the state of California, a phone number could be 650 555-8211.
- Now click the button and check your email! You should have received an email with subject “iTunes Store Account Verification”
- Confirm your account by clicking the link in the email
- Now, back in iTunes, enter your email address and password you entered in step 10
- Okay, now it’s time to reserve you iPad: start by going to the iPad reservation site
- Click the big blue button and on the next page select (or locate) an Apple Store that is either near a friend or family member that can pick up (and pay) your iPad at April 3rd or that is at a convenient location for you to pick it up yourself.
- On the next page select which model of iPad you want to reserve
- Press Next and enter the email address and password of the account you just created
- Continue the reservation process by confirming your reservation
- Now when you check your email again and everything went right you have received an email with the subject “Your iPad has been reserved.”
- Print the email and take it to the Apple Store on April 3rd, or forward it to your friend or family member so she can use it to pick up your iPad. Update: it might be a good idea to also print the account details you entered in iTunes for the unlikely event they ask that. You can get this info in iTunes under the account link at the top right under ‘Quick Links’. You can’t print it directly, but you can take a screenshot and print that.
- That’s all! Enjoy your iPad!
Your US iTunes account can also be used to buy free apps (Apple’s own iBook reader?) and free music from the iTunes Store that are not available in your country. It’s a bit speculative but when Apple’s iBook Store opens you might be able to get free ebooks for your iPad when they become available. For instance Amazon doesn’t sell free books on its international Kindle stores, they’re only available on the US Kindle store. Apple might do the same, and for now, there won’t even be international iBook stores.
It can be very useful to have a US iTunes account, even when you don’t reserve an iPad now.
Update 4 April:
It turned out there were no issues at all to buy an iPad as a Canadian, they asked for my Zip Code but when I said I was Canadian the Apple sales clerk -Oh sorry, the Specialist- just entered 00000 in their iPhone Credit Card POS app. The iPad is pretty cool and Clean My Screen on it, even as an iPhone app in double-pixel mode, is pretty amazing. It instantly made me decide to make an iPad version.
But you do need your US iTunes account to buy iPad apps, so you better put some money on it when you’re at it. I bought a couple of iTunes gift cards when I bought my iPad and that works fine. Don’t worry, iPhone apps that you bought in your own country sync just fine with iTunes.
The iPad can only connect to the US iTunes Store. But Apple doesn’t check your physical location (unlike sites like Hulu and Comedy Central) so you can log in fine, even when you are not on US soil.
March 12th, 2010 at 15:45
Having a US iTunes Account also allows use of Promo Codes.
Don’t know how many times I’ve had to walk someone through these exact same steps to send them a promo code for a app.
March 12th, 2010 at 16:20
I used my Canadian iTunes associated account to start at step #17 and had no problem with it.
I said it’s iTune associated because I am not sure if that account was created “in iTunes” or on apple.com (or apple.com/ca) I had that account for many years now so I am not sure anymore
So, my experience is that I CAN reserve for pickup with my “Canadian iTunes” account.
However, I’ll be buying an iTunes card down in US next time so I can create a US account from now now.
:)
March 12th, 2010 at 16:26
[...] How to reserve an iPad when you don’t live in the US [Clean My Screen]. مواضيع ذات صلة:فيديو: حدث إعلان الآي باد [...]
March 12th, 2010 at 16:28
Did you get an error with your Canadian iTunes account? I reserved one with my canadian account to pick up in the US and got a confirmation email.
Should I be reserving another one with my US account that I made to use Skype before it was available up here?
March 12th, 2010 at 16:30
But how do you get the iPad back into Canada without paying duty? Also, will Apple Canada honor the warranty?
March 12th, 2010 at 16:33
I just reserved one just with my @mac.com account.
March 12th, 2010 at 17:02
I got the reserved email just by using my mobile me acount.
I got the email saying it was reserved so I don’t know if I half to do this. Do you know what happened.
March 12th, 2010 at 17:28
I do have a German MobileMe Account and followed through the steps 17 to 23.
Reservation of the iPad in New York Fifth Ave. has been confirmed.
March 12th, 2010 at 18:54
If you’re Canadian and want to order an iPad, there is another option than picking it up in the store. You can have it shipped to a secure location on the border using http://www.Kinek.com. They have locations across all of the US/Canadian border and give Canadians the ability to use them as a US shipping address. As soon as your package arrives, they will send you a text message and email letting you know it is ready to be picked up.
They have locations across from almost all major, and non major, Canadian cities. Just go to their site and search the name of the border town that you’re interested and then select the location that is convenient for you. You can register for free and then only need to pay a small fee when you pick up your package, usually between $3-$5.
I’m sending my ipad to their location on Wellesley Island, NY!
March 12th, 2010 at 19:07
@Micheal: I had a page displayed incorrectly (CSS related) which I am attributing to server being too buy at the time but besides that, I received no errors
@dford: if I am willing to go through this much trouble to get an iPad, customs is least of my worries. and also I think apple warranty is international (and I do have US friends)
Seriously though, if in the end I find out I can’t pick up, that’s fine with me since it’s coming to Canada 3-4 weeks after Apr 3 anyways. No big deal.
March 12th, 2010 at 19:10
I went back and tryed with your steps and it is telling me I half to select a pickup date.
March 12th, 2010 at 21:05
I don’t seem to get the “none” option for payments on the credit card screen of itunes. Can someone tell me what i’m doing wrong?
March 12th, 2010 at 21:56
This is off topic, but I just did this to set up an account for the German iTunes (i’m in the US) does anyone know if I can use iTunes gift cards bought here in the US to buy songs/media/apps on the German iTunes account I just created??
March 13th, 2010 at 05:56
@baltika09
As far as I know, you cannot do that.
Each country’s iTune “money card” is only for the account of that country. That’s the entire reason that some people buy foreign iTunes cards in order to setup an account of that country (ie. i have a japanese account with yen iTune card).
You can’t even use a credit card (US) to charge your German account. You’ll have to have someone buy a German iTunes card, either ship to you or simply read the number sequence to you, to charge the account.
March 13th, 2010 at 13:42
bookmarked + talked on my blog (http://theamazingipad.com/how-to-reserve-an-ipad-from-any-country/).
Personally, even though I am going to buy an iPad — I am not going to preorder it. From the current demand I can see shortages even for the people who preordered
March 14th, 2010 at 22:50
This method is not working for India. There is no “None” payment method. The options are Visa, Master, American Express, Discover and PayPal.
May be it has to do with Apple not having an iTunes Store in India.
March 15th, 2010 at 13:49
WTF? The nearest U.S. Apple Store to Montreal is in Albany? That’s a four hour drive each way!
If I get a U.S. iPad, is there any chance it will lock me out of Canadian iTunes, AppStore, etc., unless I have a U.S. account? (You know how controlling Apple is…)
March 15th, 2010 at 22:04
@blork I use a US account on my iPhone for Apps that aren’t available in the Canadian App Store or for apps that I was offered a coupon code for. They work just fine on my iPhone, sync with iTunes etc.
Will the iBook App and buying books on the iBook Store work in Canada when you are logged in with a US iTunes account? At the moment nobody knows for sure, but in a few weeks I’ll find out. I’ll report back in this thread. When I pick up my IPad in the US I’m also going to buy a few US iTunes gift cards, so I have some credits to buy eBooks.
March 15th, 2010 at 22:07
That might be possible, but AFAIK Apple doesn’t do any GEO blocking (looking at your location and if it’s not in the US blocking you) in iTunes. But maybe India is an exception, I don’t know, and it’s hard for me to check :-)
March 16th, 2010 at 13:21
KUMAR- I had a similar problem at first when I created a German iTunes account. Not sure which steps you took but I, at first, just tried to create an account by going thru the normal account setup process. It didn’t give me a “none” payment option either. It was only when I went to the app store specifically and attempted to purchase an app while being logged out that it gave me an option for “none” in payment options after clicking new account. Not sure if that helps you. try it again that way…
March 23rd, 2010 at 12:17
So I have the email confirmation, do we need to print this and bring it to the store? There were no further instructions, or will they just have our email from our iTunes account? Thanks
March 23rd, 2010 at 12:44
I’m going to print the email and take it with me and provide account details when they ask for it. So I bring the AppleID (email address) of my account, but also the US address I used, in the unlikely event they ask for it. You can get this info in iTunes under the account link at the right under ‘Quick Links’. You can’t print it directly, but you can take a screenshot and print that.