So, because I am above the age of 7, I truly don't enjoy waiting in lines to buy the latest gadgets.  That being said, I have always applauded Apple's pre-order process for newly announced products.  As I mentioned in my last post, the iPad 2 launch was quite surprising because there were many weird elements to it - including the omission of a proper pre-order.

So here it is, 4:14AM EST, and I have ordered my iPad 2.  What's the problem?  Well - firstly, the pre-order was slated to begin at 4:00AM and it began early.  No worries - I thought it might and I checked in around 3:40 and was able to order my iPad 2.  The problem is that right off the bat, the shipping estimates show 3-5 days before my iPad 2 will be in transit to my location.

What's with the delays?  I thought there were tons of these things waiting in the wings to be shipped to their new owners.  Perhaps the shipping estimates are bogus, and we'll be delighted to receive a mail (early) letting us know our product has shipped (this has happened before).

My estimation - this is a marketing tactic to simply drive hoards of people into the Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Retailers nationwide.  Perhaps Apple was not happy with the relatively lukewarm reception the Verizon iPhone generated?  I know that Verizon claims to have sold-out of pre-order phones, but not one Verizon retailer I passed on launch day had anything resembling a line of people waiting to grab the new device - and I know this was reflected in many news stories chuckling at the fact that the marveled new device wasn't lining the streets with people waving cash.

So... I'll sit and wait.  Hopefully, the estimates are conservative and I see my device working it's way to my location soon.  To those who abandoned the online process to purchase in-line tonight at 5PM, have fun waiting in line.