So the Apple online store went down for a few hours last night, and when it came back on, lo and behold, the iPad mini with Retina display is now available to buy online.
I ordered a Space Gray, 32GB model with Verizon cellular about an hour ago and my order says the iPad will be available to ship within “5-10 business days” and thus is expected to arrive between Nov 26 and Dec 5.
If you’re ordering one of the 16 or 32GB models, they’ll be available to ship within 1-3 business days (which also means some Retina minis will probably be in stores sometime this week).
That’s what the shipping range was when the iPad minis first went on sale early this morning, and it looks like that’s what the shipping times still are at the moment.