Fans, entrepreneurs among the first buyers of new iPad

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis.

Apple’s latest iPad drew the customary lines of die-hard fans looking to be first and entrepreneurs looking to make a quick profit.

Many buyers lined up for hours, and in some cases overnight, as the tablet computer went on sale in the U.S. and nine other countries. They did so even though Apple started accepting online orders a week ago.

The new, third model comes with a faster processor, a much-sharper screen and an improved camera, though the changes aren’t as big as the upgrade from the original model to the iPad 2.

As with the previous models, prices start at $499 in the U.S.

Dan Krolikowski, 34, was first in line at a Madison, Wis., mall. He arrived 14 hours before the store’s opening and was buying an extra one to sell on the “gray market.”

“Last year, I sold one on eBay and made over $500 in profit,” Krolikowski said, leaning back in a reclining lawn chair he brought. “I’m hoping to do that again this year.”

Those who ordered iPads online started getting them delivered Friday. However, Apple now says there’s a two- to three-week shipping delay for online orders. There’s also demand in countries where the new iPad isn’t available yet.

In Hong Kong, a steady stream of buyers picked up their new devices at preset times at the city’s sole Apple store after entering an online lottery.

The system, which required buyers to have local ID cards, helped thwart visitors from mainland China, Apple’s fastest- growing market. A release date in China has not yet been announced. Apple will begin selling the iPad in 25 additional countries next Friday.

At Apple’s flagship retail store on New York’s Fifth Avenue, the composition of the line, and the way many customers were paying for two iPads each with wads of cash, suggested that many of the tablets were destined to be resold abroad.

Despite competition from cheaper tablet computers such as Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle Fire, the iPad remains the most-popular tablet computer. Apple Inc. has sold more than 55 million iPads since its debut in 2010.