When the iPad was first announced I was determined to get one. But Apple didn’t start taking pre-orders for quite a while, and some of the excitement wore off. I still wanted one, yet by the time the order date came I wasn’t ready to spend the money anymore.
As the actual ship date drew near I ended up wishing I had ordered so I could have it on day one after all. So the day before the launch, my friend Louie and I decided we’d get in line early at Best Buy.
The next morning we arrived at 5am to wait the five hours until the store opened. We were the second and third people in line. It was a long, cold wait. And we passed most of that time drinking coffee and talking to the other devotees.
I managed to get a free iPhone case from a Speck company representative. He was handing out products as rewards for those of us who had stood out in the cold all morning.
From time to time Best Buy employees would come out for a smoke break while setting up the display. They initially informed us that they had only ten units, but more should arrive by the time the store opened.
Sure enough, around 9:30 the manager came out and announced that the rest of their iPads had just hit the airport. They would be delivered to the store shortly.
A few minutes later they handed out slips to the people in line to ensure that those who had been waiting would be entitled to an iPad. The doors opened and we rushed in to collect our loot.
They ended up receiving a total of 100 with the last-minute shipment, but I suspect they sold out shortly after opening.
One day later, it’s safe to say I am thrilled with my iPad.
There’s a lot more to say, and that will come later. Until then, suffice it to say that this device represents a new — and better — direction for personal computing.
I can’t wait to see what’s next…
More iPad launch photos are available as a set on Flickr…
