IT'S one of the most hyped new technology products ever, hailed as either the future of computing or an expensive toy.
in onAustralians yesterday voted with their wallets, with an estimated 30,000 iPads being sold on the nationwide launch of Apple's latest product.
And sales are expected to continue, with another 20,000 to fly off the shelves on the weekend.
In Sydney, the first iPads were sold to the more than 300 customers who camped out overnight in the cold outside the flagship George St store.
After a frantic night of final work that finished only an hour before the 8am opening, the doors of the new Bondi Apple store were thrown open to those who had spent the night outside.
According to a survey on The Daily Telegraph's website, the wait was worth it, with 65 per cent of respondents saying the iPad lived up to the hype. The survey revealed the top of the range 64GB Wi-Fi + 3G model, costing $1049, was the most popular, followed by the entry level 16GB Wi-Fi model ($629). Men made up 68 per cent of buyers, with 44 per cent aged between 35 and 49.
The survey also showed the most popular uses of the iPad were surfing the web, email and reading newspapers.
At the George St store, applause and cheering rang out when Rahul Kodari, who'd arrived at the store 30 hours earlier, was the first iPad buyer.
"It's fantastic," Mr Kodari said.
Another couple in the line, Keith Walker and Melissa Reeve, are getting married on September 25 and wanted to buy an iPad for each other to exchange as wedding gifts.
"We were scared they'd go out of stock and we've decided we're not going to put them away, we're just going to use them," Ms Reeve said.
But it wasn't all smiles for some iPad customers, with reports TNT was struggling to deliver more than 20,000 pre-orders yesterday - 7800 of those just for Sydney.
Many customers who jammed TNT switchboards were told they may have to wait until next week to receive them.
The iPad, which is already being embraced by software developers and publishers, is designed to bridge the gap between a smartphone and a laptop computer and offers a way for users to stay connected to their favourite content on the go.
Apple sold more than 500,000 iPads in the first week of release in the US and a million after 28 days.
