# The SBHonline Community Daily > Digerati Discussions! >  >  Up at 0500 tomorrow . .

## JEK

iPad 2 Availability Tomorrow: 1:00 AM Pacific Online, 5:00 PM Local In-Store
Thursday March 10, 2011 08:55 AM EST
Written by Eric Slivka


Apple today officially announced its iPad 2 U.S. launch plans for tomorrow, including revealing for the first time that online sales will begin at 1:00 AM Pacific Time / 4:00 AM Eastern Time. As previously announced, in-store sales at Apple retail stores and other retail partner stores will begin at 5:00 PM.
Apple today announced that iPad 2, the next generation of its magical device for browsing the web, reading and sending email, enjoying photos, watching videos, listening to music, playing games, reading ebooks and much more, will be available tomorrow at 5 p.m. local time at all 236 Apple retail stores in the US and through the Apple Store (www.apple.com) beginning at 1 a.m. PT. Every customer who buys an iPad 2 at an Apple retail store will be offered free Personal Setup service, helping them customize their iPad 2 by setting up email, loading new apps from the App Store and more, so they'll be up and running with their new iPad 2 before they leave the store. iPad 2 will also be available beginning at 5 p.m. local time at AT&T, Best Buy, Target, Verizon Wireless, Walmart and select Apple Authorized Resellers.

The broad distribution and daytime launch should hopefully limit long lines, but the lack of online pre-orders may drive more customers who do not want to wait for shipping from the online store to line up at retail stores.

Initial stock levels for Apple retail locations are currently unknown, but we have received word from an employee of one Best Buy location that is looking to have 100-150 units on hand, spread relatively evenly across all nine models (three capacities each of Wi-Fi, AT&T 3G and

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## BBT

I am lucky Best buy,target, and ATT right next to each other.

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## JEK

No Tar-jay here.

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## BBT

I am trying to figure out which will have the best prices :-)

Seriously I figure Target will have less people who will buy the 829 model. More tech types will go to Best Buy and ATT always has a line on regular days.  Fewer people may go to ATT on Friday at 5 as it is busy with the people who want to pay there bills from paychecks.

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## JEK

I still have a site for an employee discount of 6%. Every  helps.

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## BBT

Sweet. 
Didn't know u where employee. My son is in Grad school and can get student discount but I would have to wait.

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## JEK

Only for purposes of discounts. As Andy says, It won't last . . .

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## BBT

Was working for target as rewarding as Wal mart

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## JEK



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## BBT

I am shocked you didn't get orange.  The ordered from SBH is cool though.

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## MIke R

shipping is now being advertised as 2 -3 weeks.....no problem whatsoever selling my old iPad on Ebay at a very good price

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## BBT

I have people begging for mine.

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## MIke R

yeah I can wait...when it gets here...it gets here..I am not hysterical about it like others....LOL

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## BBT

Just contacted my local ATT store where I know the guys, the FedX shipment just came in they got 8 and no 64G's. Fingers cross for Target BB and Wally World

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## amyb

The quest!

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## Petri

What's the verdict; black or white?  And why?

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## BBT

Black, No real reason and if I find a white one in a store this week I will buy if not Blacks available. I did order an orange cover.

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## amyb

I like the orange-so Hermes like.

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## BBT

My Hermes orange cover now in Anchorage getting closer.

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## MIke R

white...because Wendi said so

green cover.....same reason

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## MIke R

oh and....said cover arrived today

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## amyb

Green right? Packer green or Girl Scout green?

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## Petri

I'm not sold on the smart cover yet.  I don't like the idea of not covering the back of the iPad from scratches and dents.  Luckily there's always DealExtreme with plenty of alternatives.

The original Apple cover for the iPad 1 was pretty bad.  As a stand the smart cover can't be any worse than it was.

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## MIke R

> Green right? Packer green or Girl Scout green?




baby poop green if you ask me.....

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## JEK

iPad 2 + Smart Cover = Refrigerator Magnet?
posted by arn on Wednesday March 16, 2011 03:22 PM



Steven let us know about his unique use for the iPad 2 Smart Cover. Try at your own risk.
( 43 comments )

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## Petri

Pretty bad..  I have some doubts about Apple's international launch next week.  Even the pricing is still unannounced.

Hate those rich chinese  :Big Grin: 


http://www.macstories.net/news/bewar...5th-ave-store/


Beware The 200 Scalpers Outside New Yorks 5th Ave. Store
by Federico Viticci

 

If youre still trying to get your hands on an iPad 2, you might want to avoid the 5th Avenue Apple Store in New York for now. The New York Post has a piece today on the issues with scalpers waiting outside the Apple Store for iPad 2 stock to become available again, and buy a large amount of units to sell later at a higher price in Asian grey markets and the United States as well. Apparently almost 200 of these Asian scalpers have been spotted around the 5th Ave. location, and theyre well organized with leaders telling them how many iPads to buy, which models, at which rate. These leaders were seen handing out $100 bills to the scalpers as if it was normal to get hundreds of iPads and put them in large bags to ship to China right away.

Prices for these iPad 2s range from $1700 to a whopping $2000  you could get 4 iPads WiFi 16 GB for that price.

An Apple worker inside the store said he didnt like what was going on  but he couldnt do much about it.

Listen, we all know whats going on here. I find it sad and disgusting, the worker said. These people are preventing ordinary folks from getting their hands on an iPad.
The problems with scalpers and grey market isnt new to Apple product launches. When the iPhone 4 went on sale last summer in the US and, later, in Europe, we saw the same thing happen with hundreds of people waiting in line outside the Apple Store just to buy devices to sell right away at a higher price, or export all the way back to mainland China.

The situation looks very bad this week as iPad 2s are nowhere to be seen, not even online, and these people are preventing regular, non-scalper customers from legitimately purchasing an iPad 2. Until Apple solves its problems with stock and availability, or releases the device in more countries as promised, were going to hear more and more stories like this.

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## BBT

Sounds like the Chinese have already had their launch just a very indirect shipping channel with more middlemen.

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## JEK

Went to the Apple store before 9, line of twenty and then the last one was sold. Back tomorrow at 7 to get a ticket and wait.

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## BBT

What a great dad.

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## JEK

He and Mom share the birthday. I may get her one too :)

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## JEK

Finally shipled.

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## BBT

So I should add Husband too. I assume you will pretest both machines until yours arrives. I am on to LAX in hope of and early morning treat on Sat.

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