Dispatches from the iPad 2 front lines

11:45 AM (Steve Sande): I'm here at the Aspen Grove Apple Store in Littleton, Colorado, and fortunately it's warm and clear. I'm at about the 20th person in line, and my cohort in crime Erica Sadun just showed up.

It's a congenial group in line this morning. Apparently, the first person in line showed up at 11:30 AM yesterday. Most people in the line so far are optimistic that they'll get one, and the store manager is talking up people in the line to see how they're doing. There's even a "line host" passing out bottles of water, and we've heard that they'll be handing out sunscreen wipes soon.

The store will be closing between 3 and 5 PM, then re-opening at 5 PM to start sales. During that time, I'm sure that the iPads on display will be replaced with iPad 2s wearing Smart Covers, that a handful of iPad 2 cases will be hung from the wall display, and probably even a new window display will go up. We'll be doing some live video this afternoon, so keep tuned to TUAW.

1:30 PM (Victor Agreda): Victor's in line at the temporary Apple Store that was put up in Austin, Texas to handle the hordes of SXSW attendees who need their iPad 2 fixes. The first guy in line was there at 6:30 AM - much smarter than the fool who got to the Aspen Grove store at 11:30 yesterday!

Read on to see pictures/testimony from our readers across the US.

Mike Kochansky says "About 40 or so [people] at The Grove in LA, maybe more."

BugDave sends this video from the Troy, Michigan store:

Shawn Blanc sends this from the Leawood, KS store:

IAmNeedCreative got a shot from the back of the 100+ person line in Salem, NH:

Bob Severns sends this pic from the Summit mall in Akron, Ohio:

GThorens says the line in Deer Park is more than 50 people deep:

And now, another video courtesy of Erica Sadun at the Aspen Grove Apple Store:

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