For those of you who are interested in an iPad 2, and for those of you who
are tired of standing on line at 7am in front of those poorly managed Apple
stores (there are easier and more efficient ways to handle those lines -
maybe Apple doesn't want to), or who just refuse to try, try heading down to
one of your local Radio Shack stores.
I stopped by one Wednesday afternoon to inquire, as I had heard a rumor that
Radio Shack was getting some in here and there. They didn't have any at the
time, but they took my name, and lo and behold, I got a phone call from them
Thursday around noon that they had just gotten some in. I asked them to hold
the model I wanted for 20 minutes until I could get there, which they were
happy to oblige, and I walked out with it 30 minutes after the phone call.
No lines. No waiting. No bulls__t. Try that at the Apple store.
There is one caveat: not all RS stores are eligible, for whatever reasons
there are, to get iPads. I have two in my area, both about the same distance
from my home. One of them has never had an iPad in the store, the other had
sold a few a week before I got mine. Ask your local RS if they have ever
gotten any in. If they haven't, that store may not be on the "preferred"
list. Try another.