Apple has updated its Apple Store app for the iPhone to introduce push notifications for delivery updates. So when you order an item from the Apple Store, you’ll receive updates on its delivery status without having to check manually. The Cupertino company will even let you know when your iPhone is ready for an upgrade.

If you’ve ever impotently raged against the FedEx man for ignoring the note you left on the door and not leaving a package for you behind the toolshed like you asked, great news: FedEx has just updated its Mobile app, allowing for you to sign for packages, reroute a package to another address or provide delivery instructions, all from your iPhone or iPad.

Going to the store at this time of year is an excruciatingly painful affair. We begin our Christmas shopping months early, and anything we need to get in December is bought online. Unfortunately for some, however, not everything they order online actually shows up.

As courier companies struggle to keep up with the surge in packages, it’s not uncommon for items to go missing, or for them to be delivered to the wrong address. But in some cases, shameless delivery drivers think it’s okay to reward themselves with items you’ve paid for during gift giving season. In the video below, a UPS driver is caught stealing an iPad that was left by FedEx just hours earlier.

Apple promised us its new 21.5-inch iMac would go on sale in November, and it has just about met that deadline. You can now order the Cupertino company’s sexy new all-in-one via its online store, with shipping in 1-3 business days. The 27-inch model is also available to order, but that one will take 2-3 weeks to ship.

After breaking the news that iPad mini Wi-Fi + Cellular units were slated to deliver to customers by November 16th, we’re now hearing reports that some lucky customers are receiving their LTE-equipped iPad minis a day earlier than expected, with units already out on FedEx trucks for delivery. We’re seeing lots of confirmation on Twitter as well, with some customers saying they’ve already received their units.So if you’re expecting a cellular iPad mini tomorrow, check your tracking info: you might just get it a little earlier than expected.

Thanks: MacGeek4Life!

If you’re one of many lucky pre-orderers, your new Retina display iPad may already have been shipped off from Apple’s factories in China and may, in fact, be sitting in your own state, waiting for delivery. We know ours is.

If so, you might think that there’s a strong possibility your new iPad will come sooner than Friday, March 16th. Fat chance.

Seriously, guys, if you haven’t already, it’s time to pre-order a new iPad, as multiple models are starting to slip from a guaranteed March 16th delivery date to “shipping on March 19th.” For example, the 16GB WiFi-only model, seen above. And when they say “shipping on March 19th”, they mean shipping all the way from China, which could take up to week. So get your order in now, or prepare to camp on launch day.

The new iPad arrives in the U.S. and ten other countries exactly one week today on March 16, and the first shipments have already started leaving the Foxconn factories in Chengdu, China. It’s unlikely, however, that they’ll arrive early.

If you live in the U.K. and you haven’t pre-ordered your new iPad yet, you’ll need to prepare yourself for a lengthy wait. You will no longer get the new tablet on launch day, March 16, with shipping times slipping to 2-3 weeks for all models.

While Apple may not be all too happy about it, some German customers are ecstatic today having received their iPhone 4S pre-orders three days before the device is scheduled to launch.