Long iPad lines continue at some Apple Stores, many go home empty-handed

Walked into Best Buy today in less than 8 mins out with iPad 16GB wifi. (Winning!)

Waiting on line for hours (losers) to grab one.

I'm not too impressed with Apple on this go-round. I was only about #100 in line, and after waiting about an hour, we were informed there were no 3g models left.

So wait, your telling me that at an extremely high-grossing Apple store, you had less than 200 3G models (in any size or color)????

Luckily I only waited for an hour, and I used that time to get some emails out and chat with a friend I haven't talked to much in a while. So the time for me was at least productive.

Seems to me that Apple horribly underestimated demand at launch. OR, they spread way too thin by going to the other outlets. Which by the way, were woefully under-informed on quantity they would receive, or if they were even going to get any at all.

What Apple may have done here is go too far with their "hey lets create lines" marketing technique. I have to imagine there were a lot of irritated people that were not very deep in line, that waited many hours only to be disappointed.


Anyhow, I just ordered it online from Apple. I can wait a few weeks to get the exact model I want.

I've waited in line for iPhones twice here at the Nashville Apple Store, so I knew what to expect. For the original iPhone I arrived at 2:30am to find myself 33rd in line; for the iPhone 4 I was probably 100th in line, having arrived only 2 hours before their release.

Yesterday I arrived at the Apple Store at 12:10pm, and was 37th in line. I was able to get the black 64GB 3g AT&T that I wanted, along with a black leather cover.

I've had an iPad 1 since day one, and wasn't sure whether I'd be excited about this model, but after using it for an hour, I was convinced.

My main impressions are that it's definitely snappier loading apps; scrolling feels a little more fluid, although scrolling on an iPad has always been excellent (as opposed to some Android phones I've used). I love the thinness, can tell that it's slightly lighter (part of that weight disparity in my case is also due to my havig a heavier leather case on my original iPad).

The Smart Cover is brilliant. As usual, Apple has taken and refined a great idea; apparently this was originally an inCase design, but the magnet inclusion, coupled with the way the iPad comes on when you lift the cover, makes for a great experience.

So I went to Target in Brooklyn, NY @ 6:15pm and wondered if anon even knew that the iPad2 was launching. I walked straight to the counter, asked for a white 64gb iPad2 wifi model and walked out of the store 5 minutes later with my device in hand. WHAT A MARVELOUS LAUNCH DAY!!!!

At 4PM, the Apple store (Reston, VA) had about 100 people in line. At 4:15PM the Target store which is 1/4 mile from the Apple store (next shopping center over) only had 3 people in line............ Walking distance from the Apple store was an AT&T store (no line), Verizon Wireless store and a Best Buy.

I waited in line at the Best Buy in Reading, PA for about an hour. The store did something smart in handing out tickets to line waiters for the particular models they had in stock. However, I got to the front of the line and my model was gone! After some wrangling with managers and intervention by an Apple rep, I ended up with the next better model for just 50 dollars more(Best Buy issued a gift card) and got 40 dollars in store credited merchandise.

Happy ending was had after all!

I was going to buy mine in the UK on 25 march but as it's my birthday on 19 April I 'm gonna wait until then as the rush might have died down. mmm I could buy 25 March and not open until 19 April....thinks..screw it I'll just bring my birthday forward to the 25 March and camp out with the rest of them!! lol

I am glad I waited at the apple store at 11:30 this morning.

NO problems getting the 2/person iPads, everyone got what they wanted.

Target and Best Buy, at least, were a joke. They had about 5 of each model. I would hate to have been in that line, pain in the butt. I know Apple wanted to direct traffic to their store, but come on, what a bummer.

Target confirmed that they sold out of everything iPad at 5:02. 5:02!!

No wonder BB was enforcing the 1 per person rule.

My wait was enjoyable. Everyone around us was great. Watched our stuff and we watched theirs as we went in and out of line to do stuff. Got to jump off to the post office to mail some stuff. Got some PJs for my kids at the Disney store. Got lunch. Let the 3 year old waiting next to me play Angry Birds on my iPad 1, had a great time with everyone. Made the entire process fun, as sore as I was during it and now after.

I AM surprised at the turn out. Shows I was TOTALLY wrong about the expectations, but the limited numbers at the outlying stores didn't help things, if there was more stock there, a lot more people would have come home with ipad in hand.

But no matter what, I loved the process. I'd do it again in a second. And probably will next year with the iPad 3. I just hope it doesn't come out until then, because I have no ability to spend ANY more money!

So tired... so sore... but so, so, so happy.

I must have been the luckiest sucker in So Cal. I drove 1/2 hour to the local Apple Store, but had a 6pm appointment, so I figured I'd only get in line if things looked thin.

HUNDREDS of folks lined up outside the entrance of the mall where the Apple Store is, so I didn't even bother to park. That was 4:25 or so.

I headed home, but on the way, I thought I'd roll the dice at the local Target. Pulled into their parking lot at about 5:01pm. I headed over to the electronics department and thought I was out of luck, as there was a small sea of red shirts and a security guard. But, as I got closer, there were only 3 people waiting (and two more at the register). I got in the back of the line. The Manager was there and I asked what their stock was. They had received 5 each of the White Wi-Fi 32 and 64 models. The White 64 was my first choice, so I really lucked out. I was out the door with my purchase by 5:12.

i was in colorado springs from 2 - 5 pm. Going for the 32gb wifi + 3g, but they sold out of pretty much all the 3g ones by the time I got into the store. And I was under 50 in the line. They had lots of wifi ones, though. My apple store limited the number of iPads bought to two per person