While Apple’s new iPad isn’t set to hit retail stores until this Friday, fans are already beginning to line up to be the first to get their hands on Apple’s new device. SlashGear already came across two such fans at the Regent Street Apple Store in London.
The two fans they encountered, however, are anything but strangers to waiting in line ahead of time for Apple’s product launches:
…neither Ali nor Zohaib are new to this. Based on previous experience queuing they came prepared: folding chairs, plenty of warm clothes for the London weather, and a suitably fanatical love of iOS gadgets.
It’s pretty typical to see lines forming outside Apple Stores well ahead of Apple’s official retail launches, although it still boggles my mind that people are willing to camp out on the street for days. I guess they must have dropped the ball on getting their pre-order in (as pre-orders are now completely sold out).
It just goes to show you how dedicated some of Apple’s fans really are.
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Apple fans hoping to be the first to get their hands on the company’s latest iPad have already begun lining up outside of its flagship retail stores ahead of the device’s launch this Friday, March 16.
There’s still just under four days to go until the third-generation device goes on sale, but that hasn’t stopped the lines from forming. Ali and Zohaib are the first two people to set up camp outside of Apple’s Regent Street store in London.
This isn’t the first time the pair have camped out for a new Apple gadget, and they’re certainly not going to be alone. Over the course of this week we’re sure to see more lines forming outside of Apple stores, and not everyone will be queuing for themselves.
Demand for Apple’s products is always huge, so there’s money to be made by getting your hands on them early. With Apple stores set to sell out over the launch weekend, people will pay big bucks to get their hands on the device through other channels, like eBay. Some will even pay for your place in line, asSlashGear notes:
Queuing for a week may seem crazy to some, but it’s a potentially lucrative strategy if you’re not too keen on keeping an iPad for yourself. Even in the short time we spoke to the pair, a passer-by offered to buy their place for the coming Friday, at the cost of an iPad itself.
Lining up early doesn’t seem so crazy now, does it?
Have lines begun forming outside your local Apple store yet?
