Bad news for anyone that has ordered a Verizon iPad 2 or was planning on picking one up from Apple soon: reports have been flying in that a number of VZW iPad 2's are being recalled by Apple. Several customers have noticed that their Verizon iPad 2 orders are being returned to the shipper by FedEx mid-shipment, although folks that ordered accessories along with the iPad are getting the extras just fine. It was originally thought that the issue was arising from a problem on FedEx's end or perhaps had something to do with engraving on the iPads, but according to an Apple employee speaking with MacRumors, the problem stems from duplicated Mobile Equipment Identifiers (MEIDs). The source said that Verizon has accidentally duplicated the MEID on some iPad 2s, meaning that when a customer with a device carrying a duplicate MEID tries to set up cellular data, Verizon's system thinks that that device has already been set up. The good news is that some affected customers have requested and received credits or free accessories from Apple for the delays.

This news is certainly a bummer for anyone that's ordered a Verizon iPad 2 only to end up having their order delayed or needing a replacement, but at least customers in both situations are either getting goodies from Apple or can return a defective iPad 2 for a working model. Have any of you Verizon iPad 2 owners had problems or is everything just peachy?

Via 9to5Mac (1), (2), MacRumors