Folks, maybe I can clarify what's happening a little bit for those of you who are starting to get a little miffed and somewhat confused. I used to work in the card servicing business.
It is possible that Apple is staging the pre-orders and starting to ship them. I wouldn't be surprised if they go out ground or go out to be held in the local depot until delivery day. Since they are intended to be delivered on a specific date, this isn't uncommon.
It is possible that Apple is actually charging cards for them. I think it's unlikely, though. I believe cards won't be charged until the delivery date, or possibly the day before.
But wait! you scream! I can see the charge on my bank account!
No, actually you can't. If you see a charge marked "Pending", odds are it's an authorization, not necessarily an actual charge. It's the nature of debit cards that when a merchant runs an authorization, the funds in the account are "locked". That is, no longer available to you. The actual charge will be processed against the account using the same authorization code, sometimes for the same amount, sometimes a different amount as is the case with a restaurant where they authorize the actual amount first, then re-run the charge with the tip you indicated on the slip included.
This can be inconvenient, sometimes creating real problems if the merchant doesn't handle it correctly, but it's the nature of the beast. For example, I used a debit card at a hotel once. When I checked in, they authorized the amount of my expected stay against the card. When I went to check out the clerk at the desk screwed up and instead of using the same authorization code, he processed a new one. On a credit card, this wouldn't have caused a problem, but on a debit card, the 2 authorizations exceeded the available balance and I had a helluva time getting it straightened out.
Apple may have "accidentally" run authorizations for the 3G iPads. On a credit card, you may never even notice. On a debit card, however, you'd see the funds locked immediately, possibly resulting in overdrafts.
Reversing an authorization isn't a trivial thing. Reversing an actual charge, simply involves a credit, but an authorization isn't a real 'charge' and they obviously can't credit your account for funds they didn't actually take out.
The lesson here is that you need to be very careful when using a debit card for large purchases.
Some banks handle this process differently, reflecting a value of $1 when an authorization is processed rather than the actual amount authorized in an attempt to minimize locking funds that may never actually be charged.
I'll be curious to hear whether and when the charge actually completes and processes through for those of you who pre-ordered for delivery (I reserved mine at the local Apple Store).
Now, I could be mistaken about this. Since I didn't pre-order with a card #, I obviously can't see what's happening to the accounts, but I'm willing to lay odds that this is what's happening.
