D-Day. The iPad mini has landed in stores across the world, but interestingly, there seems to be a lot shorter queues than for previous products, Reuters notes.
The Convent Garden store in London (below) barely had anyone queuing, while the Amsterdam store queue was slightly longer but still nothing compared to what we’ve seen in the past.
While we definitely haven’t seen how the US crowds will turn out, this is underwhelming to say the least, but at the same time very interesting. If you want one (and don’t live in the US), there’s a great chance you’ll get one simply by turning up to the store now, so I’d give it a try.
I’ll add some photos of my local Apple Store soon, and we’ll also keep you updated on other major store openings/queues. Stay tuned. Check out our complete launch coverage for all of the details, as well as guides and information for the new iPads!
Update: There was no queue whatsoever at my local Apple Store. The trolley with water bottles and food was untouched, and while I was in there for a good 15-30 minutes trying out the iPad mini, I only saw two being purchased. It seems demand at least in store is much much lower than normal.
While iPad mini lines are shorter than usual for an Apple launch, it’s important to note that LTE versions of the iPad mini are not yet available in retail stores. It’s also worth noting that the iPhone 4S launch saw similarly short lines, although it later became Apple’s most successful launch to date at the time.
Without accounting for pre-orders, or the lack of LTE model availability, the shorter lines don’t really seem that unusual – and it isn’t reasonable to suggest that the short lines are due to lack of excitement or demand.
