Tech-heads take the tablets as iPads finally go on sale

THIS was the march of the geeks, and it took place all around Australia.
Apple fetishists, tech-heads and moneyed young layabouts who had queued through the night to get their hands on an iPad as soon as possible were finally, blessedly, relieved of their dough.

And if most of the proud new owners of Apple's tablet professed to be excited at their purchase, it was an enthusiasm surpassed by the staff of the computer giant.

An hour before the iPad went on sale at 8am yesterday, the herd of young, coiffed employees at Apple's flagship store in George Street, Sydney, could be heard warming up by chanting "Apple retail!" and "iPad!". Dressed in bright blue T-shirts, they then proceeded to run outside, single-file, to clap and cheer all the customers they were about to serve.

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It was indicative of the sort of "feedback loop" that has helped create unprecedented hype and cynicism in equal measure.

Apple estimated 1000 people had lined up in Sydney, with the queue stretching halfway around a city block. Almost all carried iPhones or iPods, many had Apple laptops, and quite a few even sported iPads they had already purchased on Ebay or in the US.

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