The masses came out as expected today, as Apple unleashed its third-generation tablet to what most analysts expect to be record-breaking first weekend sales for a new iPad release. And while there were indeed long lines at Apple stores from coast to coast, iPad pandemonium didn't cause many crowd control issues.
According to Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray, the lines observed Friday at Apple's stores around New York City were actually smaller than those observed after the iPad 2 launch. But given the more widespread availability of new Apple products through new retail partnerships and even more Apple stores, the shorter lines deceptively conceal the heightened demand associated with this launch.
Munster said that the line in Manhattan at Apple's flagship store was "750 deep" at 8 a.m. local time. Last year, with no pre-orders, the line wasn't that much longer (1,190). This year, Munster actually thought the line would be even shorter than 750.
Published reports, however, have indicated that really long lines were verging on being problematic elsewhere in the world, where supply is more constrained and the number of places to buy a new iPad is dramatically lower. In comparison to the U.S., iPad fever was much more visible today in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland and the UK.
Source: SF Gate
Image via poughkeepsiejournal
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