Apple now offering iPad engraving

If you've ever wished you could put a personalized message on the back of an iPad like you can with an iPod, you're in luck: Apple has unveiled free engraving for the iPad just in time for the holiday season. Free, as in $0: for no additional cost, you can add a laser-engraved message onto a new iPad's aluminum backside.

Engraving increases the shipping time by a small amount, but there's an even bigger potential pitfall. If Apple follows the same policy for iPads as it has for iPods, you may not be able to return an engraved iPad. Apple's sales and refund policy specifically states, "Personalized iPods (e.g., engraved or customized in any way) may not be returned for refund or exchange under any circumstances unless such product is Dead on Arrival." The policy hasn't yet been updated for the iPad, but it won't surprise us at all if the same policy holds true for Apple's far more expensive tablet. Having a personalized engraving on your iPad could also reduce its value if you want to sell it later; having something like "Merry Christmas honeybuns" printed on the back of a secondhand iPad doesn't go over well with most potential buyers.

In other words: iPad engraving is a great idea, but the buyer should definitely beware.

[via Mac Rumors]