Calling out Macrumors members who said no lines today.

[63dot]

Well, consider me called out because I thought for sure I'd get one with not one but TWO Apple stores in my area (Tampa). I went to the Tampa store at 5:30 and there must have been 500 people in line. Decided to go to dinner, and the line was down to 100 people by 7:30 but they were out of AT&T models. Went to the Brandon Apple store, and they were completely sold out. Called and checked several Best Buys, Targets, Walmarts, and even the big AT&T store on Dale Mabry, and I got nada. Zilch. Squat.

Tampa is probably very large. I live in a small town and luckily, there's an Apple mini store near me. The thing has to be a glorified kiosk at best but where they go days without a computer sale, the salesman (who I trust) told me that they had no less than 14 "original" iPads go out the door every day last month! There are days when the entire, small mall is practically empty except for Starbucks and the Apple Store. While he and I don't like the increasingly lower interest in Macs and the almost cult-like devotion to iPhone, iPod, and now iPad, their very small store simply could not keep their original iPads in stock a lot of the time. The iPad 2 must have sold out in minutes. I don't think a mid or full sized Apple Store could have gone the whole day and resulting online sales for iPad 2 will probably set records and be the most lucrative item next to iPhone.

The big Apple Store in my region which I go to at Stanford shopping center, which is a bear to find parking at, must have caused traffic jams to the already congested streets near the school. I am sure with all the rich students who can buy armloads of iPads, that store must have been extremely well stocked and I would assume the same for nearby SF Apple Store.

Even with our area hit with the tsunami, one of the places worst hit on the west coast (central/northern California), people would of have to walked the Apple Store even though major streets near the coast in were blocked off and the reverse 911 call had residents even 20 miles inland on alert for evacuation. If any product still sold out in a tsunami, it would be the iPad

 

[Greg M]

At 7pm, on a whim, I decided to see if I could find a 16gb white wifi. The first place I went to had a black one with no lines. I found 2 more places that had 64gb black ipads in stock after 8pm. I didn't even try verizon or AT&T because I didn't want the 3g version.

I ended up with the black 16gb.

 

[labyrinthworm]

I got to best buy around 4:00 and was number 35 in line. I'm not sure who in front of me got what but I was the next to last person to get a 64gb wifi black model. People got there at like 5:30 and still got something (not a 64gb wifi black though). They still had 32gb white wifi as I was leaving and all tickets handed out (I'd say about 100 here as well).

 

[Sketchr]

Oh, I knew there would be lines. That's why I was set on ordering online. But I was wrong about being able to nab one for "fast" shipping early yesterday morning. I ordered at 5:30ish am CT and was already pushed back to 5-7 days. Should have gotten up at 3am like the rest of the crazies

 

[Chupa Chupa]

So how does that crow taste?

Delicious b/c I'm enjoying my new iPad2 like 100s of thousands of others this A.M. Lines were long, and demand were extremely strong but supply was not unreasonably tight that I could tell except for the ATT 3G models that were eaten up by the gray marketers.

The store I was had a line that went down half the mall and out the door -- everyone had a "ticket" for 1 or 2 iPads. Lots of happy people. For those that didn't get one more is on the way today and next week.

I have to say I find it funny you felt the need to "call out" those who disagreed with you.

 

[darngooddesign]

Next to no line at my BB until at least four. I got the color I wanted, in the size I wanted, on the network I wanted. The OP can call out whomever he wants, but they were correct about the lines as far as I'm concerned. If you're upset that you didn't get one, guess you better orde online.

 

[FSUSem1noles]

No I was bottle fed. Were you breastfed until the age of six? I am writing this on my shiny new iPad 2.. Who's the loser? Sulk much?

I'm reading this on my shiny 1st Gen iPad... what's your point?

 

[ZBoater]

I'm reading this on my shiny 1st Gen iPad... what's your point?

And I am having to endure this pain on my shiny Xoom. Still bummed I cant play Infinity Blade on an iPad 2...

 

[FSUSem1noles]

And I am having to endure this pain on my shiny Xoom. Still bummed I cant play Infinity Blade on an iPad 2...

Have you tried out Flash yet?? I know it was "leaked" before the official 18th release, so far the reviews have been very positive!

I'm jealous you'll have Flash!

 

[Kissaragi]

Surely this day will go down in history as the first time people on an internet forum speculated incorrectly.

lol!

 

[ZBoater]

Have you tried out Flash yet?? I know it was "leaked" before the official 18th release, so far the reviews have been very positive!

I'm jealous you'll have Flash!

It works very good. Videos show nicely. Honestly I was waiting for flash to use the full Weight Watchers site. Their Points Tracker is flash based. Although the tracker now comes up, there seems to be a bug where placing your cursor on a text field doesn't activate the on-screen keyboard. Its like flash based text fields are not being recognized. I hope they fix that. But CNN and Amazon Video on Demand work great.

 

[WLS]

I'm enjoying my magical iPad2 since 6pm last night.
I wasn't expecting a big line at BB since there was no local media hype about it but when I got there at 4pm the line was 50 deep. It doubled by 4:30 when they started handing out ticketts. I asked how many total units they had and the guy said 300! I could have skipped the wait and come in at 6 and got one no problem. I didn't want to take the chance though since I am going on a trip today.
So yes some lines were long with iPad lovers but supply was plentiful. I got mine, and now I think I should have bought another one to sell on eBay.

 

[JForestZ34]

Well I for one don't think it's right for apple to have customers waiting in line instead of being at work or doing something else more important than waiting for a device... That's not looking out for the customer.. That's apple looking out for press attention saying "OH LOOK AT THE LONES WE HAD..."


Way to go apple........

P.S. Still can't wait to get my online order


James

 

[Richmond1958]

I'm fairly new at this as the only other time I did this was waiting in line for Leopard about 30 minutes a few years ago. Yesterday, I was at Mall of America in Bloomington, MN ... got there at 1:55 and there was probably about 60-70 people in line. I had planned on getting over about 3pm but got nervous hearing about some of the lines on the East Coast. So, at first, it looked pretty mellow and I had some great "line mates" to talk to. There was a bunch of people that showed up around 2:30-245, then a lull, and at 3:30 things built up quickly. I estimate there were about 400 people in line at 5pm. I have no idea how many left either empty handed or without the model they wanted.

So, there weren't hundreds of crazed people who showed up early in the morning (probably except for NYC?), but there were definitely long lines late in the day. I think Apple got exactly what they were looking for PR wise. I suspect we will see this approach again in the future?

BTW, the Apple Store folks were great offering coffee bottled water a few times. The funniest part were all the other people in the mall taking photos and giving us funny looks. And, of course, there were a couple of curmudgeons passing by telling us we were all crazy.

 

[eawmp1]

Way to keep it classy OP.
Call me cynical, but I think the lines were engineered by Apple marketing. Would love to compare the first 72 hour sales (in store and online) between iPad 1 and 2 before any I told you so's.

 

[Rafterman]

All you naysayers that said there would be no lines, plenty of stock, 2nd gen product, everyone already has one etc. Well.. you were wrong. The Apple store I went to had about 400-500 people when 5 o'clock hit. Luckily I was # 72 in line and was able to score my iPad. So how does that crow taste?

250 Apple Stores, thousands of Best Buy's, Target's, Walmarts...

...and your sample size is 1?

I hope Statistics wasn't your major.

 

[Dr Kevorkian94]

I got there at 3 and I was around 100 in line by 5 there was a line going outside and then raping around the outside of the mall. Around the time i was 50 in line AT&T models were gone and I at least had the privilege of getting one of the last couple verizon models. This is at apple by the way, I bet if I got of line and walked ten feet to the best buy mobile store I could of walked in and bought any model I wanted. So yes there were lines at the apple stores and lines at other places but not as bad.

 

[boch82]

I walked by the UWS Apple store in NYC around 12:30 yesterday. The line was about a half a block. Not bad at all. When I came back at 4:45 (after I got off work) the line was the line went from 67th and broadway, down 67th, 1 block up to 68th around to broadway, up to 69th and I lined up halfway down 69th. No idea how many people that is but there apple employees at the end asking how many you were buying and said they will hasve enough for everyone at least to that point. By the time I walked in at 7 theybwere out of most white 3G models and black AT&T models. Everything else they had. They were still handing out vouchers to people showing up at 7. But i walked out with my 32gb black wifi.

 

[IceMacMac]

I didn't wait in line...nor drive around town. I decided I can wait for mine to be shipped. After ordering at 1:02 AM Friday morning...I was advised it would ship within 3 days.

Hopefully I won't have issues because a return or exchange would be quite a hassle.

I'm very curious to see the sales results of the opening weekend...I'm thinking they sold nearly a million.

 

[Malakas07]

I was one of those people who assumed there would be plenty of stock available. For the 3GS launch my brother stood in line all day and as soon as I got off at 5pm I was able to snatch one up. He was pissed.

IMO, this was all orchestrated by aapl to drive up hype and bring on the media. Ironic the earthquake in Japan negated all the media attention that expected. Our local news only showed our local lines for about 1 minute before moving onto the earthquake. You would think Apple would try to ensure there is plenty of stock on hand to smash any previous records.

Oh well, I've been calling around all morning only to hear the same phrase. I'm hopeful I'll find my iPad soon.

 

[ViperDesign]

There was a line at y local best buy. So I went to Verizon, I was the ninth person basically in line and got one. There was interest for sure.

 

[KittyKatta]

Way to keep it classy OP.
Call me cynical, but I think the lines were engineered by Apple marketing. Would love to compare the first 72 hour sales (in store and online) between iPad 1 and 2 before any I told you so's.

This was probably the worst of Apple being an attention-whore (which ironically also applies to the thread topic). I'm forever going to be a fan of Apple products, but tactics like this just rubbed me the wrong way.

Morning lines are silly but understandable. If you're a super fan you'll sleep on the sidewalk but by 9AM you'll be back in bed or at work. 5PM demands so much out of the customer because you're likely missing some work/school and you sit there all day like a dope advertising for the company you're already pledging your support for. And for what? The product is already in store, other time zones are already buying and it's an inconvenience that takes away from the Apple "experience" we always hear about. It's just not cool to abuse your customers like that.

 

[lilo777]

Obviously, 5 pm launch time was selected to draw extra attention. Apple hoped that those lines would be all over TV for entire day. Ironically, it did not happen because of the Earth quake in Japan.

 

[MikePA]

250 Apple Stores, thousands of Best Buy's, Target's, Walmarts......and your sample size is 1? I hope Statistics wasn't your major.

Middle schools have majors?

 

[63dot]

250 Apple Stores, thousands of Best Buy's, Target's, Walmarts...

...and your sample size is 1?

I hope Statistics wasn't your major.

Stats or not, Apple fanboy/girl or not (I suspect the OP is a fan of some gender and not an automated bot from Apple Inc.), the main thing is I hope it won't affect me when I go to the Apple Store near me for something related to an obsolete concept called a Mac or a quaint little thing like software.

I knew things were changing when my Mac hating friend got stuff for his second iPod and a little kid asked his parents if they could go to the iPod store (referring to the Apple Store).

it's a matter of time before somebody calls the store an iPad store