Apple has upped the game for successful product launches. Due to its 5 p.m. debut time, the iPad 2 drew a crowd of thousands during its launch in NYC.
Well, no one can doubt Apple’s genius today. Instead of launching the iPad 2 at midnight or early in the morning, Steve Jobs and Co. chose to launch its new flagship tablet at 5 p.m. on a Friday, allowing almost anyone the opportunity to hop in line around the country, or just crowd in to see what the fuss is about.
I stopped by the Apple Retail Store on 5th Avenue in New York City around 4:30 p.m. EST to see this crowd, which kept swelling to eventually fill the entire city block by 5:30 p.m. Traffic cops were on site to keep traffic moving and hundreds of onlookers were snapping pictures of the masses, often on smartphones and tablets. I’ve heard reports that similar crowds gathered in other NY area stores.
Below are a few images I took on my Motorola Droid. Please note that I am not a professional photographer by any stretch. Captions are included!