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Four people sat outside the Apple store on Fifth Avenue in New York City at 12 p.m. ET yesterday, lining up for the new iPad 2, which goes on sale at 5 p.m. today.(Credit: Marguerite Reardon/CNET)
The Apple iPad 2 hits store shelves at 5 p.m. local time today all over the country, and the second-generation tablet is already generating a lot of buzz with a few eager customers lining up outside of some Apple stores at least a day in advance.
Unlike notable Apple product launches of the past, this time, the company didn't offer an extended preorder period. And it wasn't allowing customers to reserve devices weeks in advance of the sale. Instead, the company only began taking orders for the iPad 2 starting at 1 a.m. PT with orders expected to arrive at customers' homes sometime next week.
What does this mean for potential customers on launch day? It could mean long lines at some stores with potential shortages of certain models and configurations of the iPad 2.
But Apple employees and workers at its retail partners say they're ready. Unlike last year's launch, when the original iPad was available in Apple stores and select Best Buy stores, this year, the iPad 2 will be also be available at Target, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, Verizon and AT&T retail locations, and online at Amazon.com.
When I spoke with a sales representative at Apple's flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City yesterday, where four people were already in line at noon, he was confident the company would have enough iPads on Friday evening to satisfy customer demand.
"I can't guarantee that we will have every model in stock," he said. "But we will be getting more over the weekend."
A sales associate at the Apple store on the Upper West Side of Manhattan said that the store may sell out the first evening the iPad is on sale, but he said the store would get more shipments over the weekend to fulfill demand.
Across the street and down the block, a salesman at the Best Buy store on 62nd and Broadway in New York City, said the store has more iPad 2s in stock for the launch than it had for last year's launch of the initial iPad.
While he wouldn't guarantee that the store won't sell out the first day or even the second day, he was confident that this particular Best Buy location had enough iPad 2s to meet a higher demand than last year.
"But there's going to be a line," he said. "If you want one, I'd show up no later than 2 p.m. just to make sure you get the one you want."
CNET reporters on both coasts will once again be tracking the lines that form and providing insight into the initial sales of the iPad 2. CNET reporter Marguerite Reardon and photographer Sarah Tew will be in Manhattan, while CNET reporter Josh Lowensohn and photographer James Martin will be providing updates from San Francisco.
Check out our coverage throughout the day and evening right here, where we will post updates as well as photos.
College student Chris Tantillo of Rockland, N.Y., was first in line at the Upper West Side Apple store in Manhattan. He was getting paid $25 an hour to hold a place in line for an eager iPad 2 customer. He had been there since 7 a.m. ET yesterday.(Credit: CNET/Marguerite Reardon)
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