While early Friday appeared to be a day like any other at Best Buy electronics stores in the area, it didn't stay that way for long.
As the day progressed, it became apparent that this was no ordinary day. By late afternoon, lines of anxious shoppers formed in front of the stores on Route 10 and off Springfield Avenue in Union with the hopes of securing the latest model of Apple's popular tablet, the iPad 2, which went on sale at 5 p.m.
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 iPad 2. This year's model retains many of the features that made the first edition a smash hit amongst its users, including a full HTML web browser and an application library comprised of over 65,000 titles.
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Yet there are a couple of key differences that make the iPad 2 attractive to buyers. One of which is the inclusion 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.
This year's model is also thinner in size and features an updated A5 processor, which is slated to make the device run nearly twice as fast as its predecessor.
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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 over at the local Best Buy on Route 10 in Livingston. A sales associate said the store's stock was gone in less than two hours.
"You are the 197th person I've told this to in the past hour!" she said jokingly.
Best Buy and other retailers are taking pre-orders for the next batch of shipments starting Saturday morning -- with a $100 deposit required up front. The associate recommended getting to the store early to better your chances of one.
If you're not willing to wait out in the cold there are other options. 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 can be ordered online, if you can wait a few weeks to get one. You may want to work some overtime in the meantime to pay it off -- the price ranges from $499 to $829 depending on the model.
Photo by Patch Contributor Susie Adamson
