How to avoid heading to fail to get an Ipad on Friday?

[gusanitoverde]

In a town/city where I live, far away from the main city, (2 hour drive) we are favored to have 1 Best Buy in town, 1 Walmart and 1 Target. No Apple Store here.
Interestingly, there is a huge number of apple fans in town and I can see them making lines to get the iPad 2.
I recently went to Best Buy and an employee told me that BB, and Walmart are getting only 50 each. That makes 100 iPads for the whole town if Target does not carry them on time.

On the 11th, after work, I am hunting for iPad 2. Best Buy will be flooded. I wanted to venture to Walmart... maybe Target or head to our nearest Walmart in another town. Hopefully I will get the iPad. My question is:

iPad goes on sale at 12 am on Friday. By the time I hit the stores it will be about 5 pm. Going around in this mission will take me hours. If I don't get it through the night, I will have to go back home to order online.
All fine, however, is there a chance that when I return home, Apple online store may have the iPad backordered?

I will have then failed my mission.

Any thoughts? Preventives? Sound Advice?

Thanks.

 

[Davichi]

Yes, online store might see some delays on delivery. Not even joking...

16GB model will be the first one to go.
32GB model will be very popular as well.

If you are planning on getting 64GB model, I would not worry.

The rest? Yes, you need to be quick because of these reasons.

1. You don't have an apple store in your town. So, people will go to BB.
2. Best buy will have more than walmart. No doubt.
3. 50 sounds about right. But, the problem is.. that means, there will be about 5-6 iPad per configuration. That's low.

Don't give up hope. Apple store is the only store that will have enough iPads for a lot of people. Last year, people could pre-order and sold out. This time is very different. No one can pre-order until 11th and there are a lot of people who are also upgrading like myself. You need to be at the store as early as possible.

 

[poloponies]

Just order online at midnight and give it a rest. No, you won't be the first kid on the block to get one, but you'll get one early next week.

 

[Saberj]

Target tweeted that they are getting them on March 11th too. http://twitter.com/#!/Target/status/43733201339953152

 

[icecrystal23]

iPad goes on sale at 12 am on Friday. By the time I hit the stores it will be about 5 pm. Going around in this mission will take me hours. If I don't get it through the night, I will have to go back home to order online.

Retail stores shouldn't be selling them before 5pm. They go on sale online at midnight, in stores at 5pm.