NYC iPad line: Shorter than iPad 2, longer than expected

An analyst offers 3 reasons that 750 customers at 8 a.m. was "strong start"

Fifth Avenue iPad line. Photo: Ryan via AppleInsider

Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster flew to New York City for Apple's (AAPL) launch of the new Pad Friday morning and counted 750 people waiting in line outside the big glass cube on Fifth Avenue when doors opened at 8 a.m.

He declared it a "strong start" despite the fact that Friday's headcount was 37% lower than the 1,190 he counted at the same store last year for the launch of the iPad 2.

"We expected the line to be shorter than 750," he wrote in a note to clients Friday morning, and offered three reasons:

• The launch was preceded by 9 days of pre-orders that Apple had described as "off the charts." There were no pre-orders for the iPad 2.
• The new iPad went on sale at 8 a.m., compared to the more convenient 5 p.m. launch of the iPad 2.
• This was the first Apple product launch since the opening of the huge Grand Central Terminal store, which may have funneled some of the customer traffic away from Fifth Avenue.

Posted in: Apple, Apple Store, Fifth Avenue, Gene Munster, Grand Central Terminal, iPad, new iPad, New York City, Piper Jaffray, Tablets

• First peek at the renovated Fifth Avenue Apple Store

  To inaugurate the re-opening, Apple seized control of the surrounding plaza

  Anybody who has walked by, camped out at, or placed flowers in remembrance of Steve Jobs at the base of the Fifth Avenue Apple store since June knows that its distinctive glass cube has been covered with painted plywood for more than four months.

  It was all part of a $6.6 million renovation that involved replacing the original 90 panes of MORE

  Philip Elmer-DeWitt - Nov 4, 2011 9:54 AM ET
  Posted in: Apple, Apple Store, Fifth Avenue, Glass cube, New York City, Steve Jobs

• iPhone spots for sale, no takers

  A soggy tale of queue-sitting entrepreneurship gone sour

  The skies opened up at about 1:00 a.m. Thursday night, dumping torrential rain on the customers camped out in front of the Fifth Avenue Apple (AAPL) Store to buy the new iPhone 4S.

  Which makes this story all the more poignant.

  The couple occupying the first two spots had been there for more than two weeks (see 17 days in the iPhone line: Wet, cold MORE

  Philip Elmer-DeWitt - Oct 14, 2011 7:35 AM ET
  Posted in: Apple, Apple Store, Fifth Avenue, Greg Packer, iPhone, iPhone 4S

• Video: Walking the longest iPad 2 line

  An hour after this was shot in NYC, the queue had swelled to nearly 1,200 people

  The second edition of Apple (AAPL) tablet computer drew the largest crowd I've ever seen at New York's Fifth Avenue Apple Store. This was shot at 4 p.m. Friday. By the time the doors of the big glass cube opened, Gene Munster's team at Piper Jaffray had counted 1,190 heads.

  It took 4 minutes and 38 MORE

  Philip Elmer-DeWitt - Mar 12, 2011 6:57 AM ET
  Posted in: Apple, Fifth Avenue, iPad, New York City, Piper Jaffray, Video, YouTube

• A soggy night in the iPad line - update

  Waiting in the queue for Apple's latest hot gadget is a cold hard way to earn some cash

  [UPDATE: The No. 1 spot changed hands Friday morning for $900. See below.]

  Six hardy souls were huddled under red and black umbrellas in front of the big glass cube of Apple's (AAPL) Fifth Avenue retail store at 5 p.m. Thursday night --  24 hours before the iPad 2 was scheduled to go on MORE

  Philip Elmer-DeWitt - Mar 11, 2011 9:45 AM ET
  Posted in: Apple, Brooklyn, Craigslist, Fifth Avenue, GarageBand, iPad, Lady Gaga