At 10 a.m. Friday, the scene was calm at the Best Buy on Route 10 near the East Hanover-Livingston border. No long lines, no packed parking lots, in fact it appeared to be a relatively low-key day at the electronics retailer.
It didn't remain that way for long.
As the day progressed, it became apparent this was no ordinary day. By late afternoon, a line of of anxious shoppers formed in front of the store's main entrance with hopes of securing the latest model of Apple's popular tablet, the iPad2, which went on sale at 5 p.m.
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What's different from last year's model? Not much, as Apple kept the age-old adage of "if it ain't broke don't fix it" in mind when designing the iPad2. This year's model retains many of the features that made the first edition a smash hit among users, including a full HTML web browser and an application library comprised of more than 65,000 titles.
Yet there are a couple of key differences that make the iPad2 attractive to buyers. One such difference is the use of two video cameras for use with Apple's FaceTime service, which enables users to video chat with each other over a WiFi Internet connection.
Find out what's happening in Millburn-Short Hillsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
This year's model is also thinner and features an updated A5 processor, which is slated to make the device run nearly twice as fast as its predecessor.
Looking to get your hands on a shiny new iPad by the end of the weekend? Unfortunately, you are likely out of luck. By 7 p.m. the magic was all over at the local Best Buy. A sales associate informed Patch the store's stock had been depleted in under two hours. "You are the 197th person I've told this to in the past hour!" she said jokingly.
It's not all doom and gloom though. The retailer is taking pre-orders for the next batch of shipments of the device, although a $100 deposit is required up front. The associate recommended getting to the store early to better your chances of securing a device.
If your not willing to wait out in the cold there are other options out there. The Verizon Wireless retailer in the Livingston Mall is also taking orders from customers in-store for direct shipment once the device becomes available.
In addition, both the WiFi and 3G models of the device are slated to ship out within the next two to three weeks from Apple's Online Store. This gives you a ample amount of time to start paying off the device's hefty price tag, which ranges from $499 to $829 depending on the model.
