The line outside the New York City flagship Apple Store on Fifth Avenue Friday morning extended down 58th street, rounded the corner onto Madison Avenue, and made its way up 59th street.
"It's literally around the block," an Apple employee said.
Those on line were, of course, eagerly — and patiently — waiting for the new iPad, seemingly unfazed by the drizzle and chilly 40-degree temperatures. Proudly standing at the front of the line was Huntington, N.Y. resident Greg Packer, 48, (left) who said he camped out there for five days, since Monday afternoon. He wasn't allowed to set up a tent, but thankfully was able to sit in a chair.
"It's the chance to spend a week and watch the people go by," he said of his long wait. "I plan to get one, possibly two."
Meanwhile, Harlem resident Kobe Nunez, 20, came with a crowd of about 30 friends and had been camping out since Tuesday. Some of those in his group planned to keep the new iPad, while others intended to sell it for a profit.
"It's just a way of life," he said. "If we don't do it someone else will."
Standing at the front of a separate line for people who pre-ordered the device was Manhattan resident J.C. Bacquec, 23, who got to the store at 3.a.m.
"I have the first and second [generation iPads], and now I'm going to get the third," he said. "I really love what they [Apple] do. They have great, great products."
Bacquec has gone to numerous Apple product launches in the past. This time, he planned on getting two new iPads, which was each person's quota, a white 64GB Wi-Fi + 4G model for himself, and a white 16GB 4G model for his girlfriend.
Standing fourth in the pre-order line was 11-year-old Xander Gandsman, who said he sold his iPad 2 to his teacher days earlier, knowing he was about to upgrade to the new model. Gandsman was at school when Apple announced the new iPad last week, and was excited to hear it would have a Retina Display, a feature he has been hoping for since the first iPad. Gandsman was also happy the new iPad has 4G.
At 8 a.m., the crowd cheered as the doors to the striking glass cube were opened and the first people in line were let inside. Making his way up the steps minutes later, Eric Ladd, 38, from Brazil, emerged from the glass structure holding a bag containing two new iPads — a white 64GB 4G model for himself and a black 64GB 4G for a friend.
"I flew all the way in Brazil because we won't see it in Brazil maybe for three months," said Ladd, who had been number eight in line. "I paid $1,200 for my ticket, it's totally worth it. I'm really excited because it's new technology."
Emerging from the store later, 11 year-old Gandsman held a new iPad with a green Smart Cover. He said he was excited to play the game Real Racing 2 on his new device.
"I played that on my iPad 2 and it's probably going to really good with the Retina Display," he said.
Bounding out of the store minutes later was Packer, the Huntington resident who was first in line. He purchased one new 64GB iPad, and said he was excited for HD photos and faster speeds.
"After five days, I'm going to go home and open it up and see what it's like," Packer said.
For more from today's launch, check out the slideshow above. Also see PCMag's hands on with the new iPad and the slideshow below.