IPad: The International Language of Gadget Lust
The international launch of Apple’s newest iPad is drawing massive lines overseas, even as stores in the States struggle to keep up with demand.
Long queues for the device are being reported pretty much everywhere it’s gone on sale today–France, New Zealand, Scotland, Canada, England and Australia, where ship times for online orders went from 2-3 weeks to 3-4 weeks in a matter of hours.
Demand for the iPad abroad appears to be just as strong as it is at home. And that bodes well for Apple, because demand in the States continues to be very strong indeed: Two weeks after launch there are still lines for the device. “Never before have we seen lines as long or as persistent as the iPad 2 lines at U.S. Apple stores,” Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said today. “Lines at Apple’s flagship store in New York City’s Meatpacking district were upwards of 400 people one week after the iPad 2 launched. And at more typical stores, lines were 30-100 people long waiting for 9am sales of iPad 2 shipments, which are selling out before the stores open at 10 am.”