I would *love* to know how many Apple had available for sale yesterday...

*deleted - yawn.

This is hardly surprising to me, and I can only LOL at some people who are claiming that this is some sort of conspiracy. These people obviously have no concept of logistics or any common sense at all. These are probably the same clueless people that were expecting a retina display in the iPad2. I'm pretty sure that the factories are pumping out iPad2's as fast as they can make them. Even so, the initial demand is so great that there is bound to be supply shortages when it first comes out. This isn't the Xoom we're talking about here, this is the iPad.

Should Apple have quit making and selling iPad1's months ago and just stocked up many millions of iPad2s and put them in a huge warehouse somewhere?

I think that people don't realize that the iPad is being adopted faster than the VHS, DVD, game console and digital camera was when they were first released. The iPad is huge! That means that some people might have to wait a little bit to get one. Not bad for a useless toy huh?

The iPad built a following faster than the original video- cassette recorder, DVD player, game console or digital camera, said Colin McGranahan, a retail analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. in New York.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-0...rst-model.html

They are sold out everywhere in San Diego. I went to the Apple Store, Best Buy, Target, and Verizonwireless last night but didn't want to wait in line so it looks like I will be waiting for a month for mine.

I strongly believe that Apple should thank the Xoom (and the competition) for the demand of the iPad 2. People had nothing to compare it to until the Xoom came along. Without their utter failure to impress and deliver (Flash/SD slot not ready and send in for LTE upgrade? Really?), I don't think people would be gobbling up the iPad 2 right now.

On a side note, I was looking at the new iPods and I can only imagine that the iPads will take on its thinness and weight within 3-4 years but with much more functionality. If you don't have Apple stock then it is not too late as it will continue to grow in a market that simply didn't exist before. This is bigger than the iPod and the iPhone. I doubt anyone will make anything that comes even close in quality and value any time soon.

Went to the closest Apple store today around noon and had a 32gb black wi-fi in my hands in about 3 minutes, I can't believe my timing. Not trying to rub it in, I called the store last night and they suggested showing up around noon. Said second shipment of the day, they we're opening the box when they reserved mine.

This thing is slick!

Just for some perspective, I was on vacation at Amelia Island in Florida. I went to the North Jacksonville Best Buy. This store had an Apple Store within the store. I got there at about 4:15 local time and was probably about 40 deep in the line. When 4:30 came, tickets started going out, and by about person 30 the employee announced, "All the 16 GB WiFi models are gone." When the employee got to me I asked for a 64 GB 3G AT&T (AT&T service is astounding in my area, so trolls can suck it). When the employee opened the envelope designated for those tickets, there were still at least 10 tickets available, and that's a very low-ball estimate as I was quite giddy at the time for having actually received a ticket. She went through the rest of the line and everyone got a ticket, there being about 70 people waiting.

While there may be talk of a purposeful launchday undersupply by Apple to create hype, I didn't see it. A lowly Jacksonville Best Buy had at least 70, probably more like 100, on launch day. If Apple was supplying this unimportant (media-wise) Best Buy store with such a robust supply, then there logically must have been a pretty good supply overall. This gives support to the assertion that Apple was not necessarily trying to create hype, there were just so many damn buyers.

P.S. Around me, no one had previously owned an iPad. Of 7 people I talked to, ranging from old to young, and all races, no one had owned an iPad. This speaks to the high level of demand for this product from people who are not Apple fan boys, of which I am one.