Quietly, Apple fulfilled its vow to push the iPad Mini 2 with Retina release date this November 2013 as the hotly anticipated small iOS 7 tablet finally appeared on the tech giant's online store today, Nov 12, and much earlier than the announced availability later in the month.

Securing the slate, however, could prove very difficult for the expected millions that will click their way to the online Apple Store as notices of long waiting time greeted would-be buyers.

According to Apple Insider, purchase of the 64GB and 128GB iPad Mini 2 with Wi-Fi and LTE connectivity will require a delivery period of10 days, tops.

Apple has advertised that the quickest that consumers will get the device is 10 days but it remains doubtful if the Mini 2 will be delivered that soon.

But for those willing to settle for the 16GB and 32GB variants on Wi-Fi only, the Apple Store claims that the product will be shipped out over the next two days.

The countries covered by the iPad Mini 2's flash availability are the following: Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and the United States. It is understood that the shipping terms and prices published by Apple are universally applicable to these nations.

Analysts have been projecting that the Mini 2 release date will be marred by serious supply shortages around the world due to production woes that pertain to its high-resolution Retina display panel.

The looming Mini 2 stock outs immediately after its commercial debut were somewhat confirmed by Apple CEO Tim Cook, admitting that shipment levels for the fourth quarter of 2013 may not be able to meet the anticipated heavy demand.

The problem, reports said, is being blamed on the supposed LCD burn-in that plagued the Retina production efforts of Sharp Display, which handles some 40 per cent of the total display panel shipments that Apple is slated to use with the iPad Mini 2.

To date, this issue appears unresolved, prompting many analysts to predict that the Mini 2 release date could be pushed back until after the 2013 holiday season.

Apple, however, proved them wrong by issuing the tablet out of the blue but obviously in a very limited scale, which explains the Mini 2's almost secret rollout and confined only to the tech giant's online store.

No word yet from Apple if the Retina-toting iPad Mini 2 will soon be displayed and offered through the company's numerous physical stores that are operating worldwide.