Direct from Apple
As with any Apple product, you have the option of getting the iPad 2 straight from the source. If you want to buy the new device directly from Apple, you've got the same choices as always--online or in-person at an Apple Store near you.
Online ordering has a bit of a wrinkle this time around. In the past, you could go to Apple's online store and place an order for a product that had been announced but wasn't yet shipping. Pre-order your Apple goodie early enough, and you could even be assured of receiving it the same day it arrived in stores--and sometimes a day or two early.
That's changed with the iPad 2--online orders won't begin until March 11, the day the new tablet hits stores. On the bright side, Apple is offering free shipping for the iPad 2.
Of course, there's an easy enough way to avoid long lines at an Apple retail store--wait a few days for the initial crush of early adopters to die down. If history is any guide, a week after the iPad 2's release, you should be able to stroll right into an Apple Store and pick up a new tablet without much of a wait... other than the seven days you've already waited while other users got first crack at the iPad 2, that is.
Other outlets
Since releasing the first iPad in April 2010, Apple has expanded the retail reach of its tablet to stores run by its cellular network partners, AT&T and Verizon, as well as general-interest department stores like Walmart and Target. That trend is continuing with the iPad 2 launch.
Verizon this week confirmed that it would be selling the iPad 2 at launch, while AT&T was being more circumspect with its plans. "We haven't announced details yet," an AT&T spokeswoman told Macworld on Friday.
Walmart is already featuring the iPad 2 on its Website, and a Target spokesman on Friday confirmed that chain would be selling the new device "on or around March 11." (Target is also promoting its electronics trade-in program, available at more than 800 of the company's stores, that will let customers trade in first-generation iPads for store credit starting on March 13.)
"We anticipate our guests being really excited to get the latest technology," said Target spokeswoman Kristy Walker.
The new tablet will also be available at Best Buy, which is featuring the device on its Website.
So far, there have been no signals as to whether online retailers like Amazon would be able to sell the iPad 2 at launch. But Apple-authorized independent retailers, like Springboard Media in Philadelphia, anticipate offering the new device immediately.
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