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Apple Retail Stores Begin Prepping for iPad Launch as First Third-Party Retailers Open

Thursday March 15, 2012 6:26 am PDT by Eric Slivka
With Apple's official launch of the iPad in Australia, Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong just hours away, it seems that some of the company's retail stores are beginning their preparations. At Apple's Fukuoka Tenjin store in Japan, which closed for the night a little over an hour ago, employees are currently hard at work removing iPad 2 units from display in order to replace them with demo models of the new iPad.


Apple's retail stores will be opening at 8:00 AM local time to begin selling the new iPad, but some third-party retail partners will be opening even earlier. In fact, our friends at iFixit have traveled to Australia in order to be among the first to obtain an iPad for teardown purposes and were first in line at a Telstra retail store in Melbourne that opened just a few minutes ago at midnight. The carrier is even celebrating the event with a meter square iPad cake.


Update: iFixit now has its iPad in hand and will begin tearing it down shortly.

Related Roundup: iPad
Tag: Apple retail
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Buy Now)
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mertyz
98 months ago
We spend months following every single new internal leak.
We finally see an assembled one at the Apple's keynote event.
We tear it down to see internals again after the launch.

What's wrong with us?
Rating: 5 Votes
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greytmom
98 months ago

Cake would have been perfect if they hadn't mixed up the locations of Newsstand and Settings ... shame


All you have to do is press and hold until the icons wiggle, and you can rearrange the apps.

Might be a little squishy with the icing and all.
Rating: 4 Votes
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powerslave12r
98 months ago



Update: iFixit now has its iPad in hand (https://twitter.com/#!/iFixit/status/180283743326576640) and will begin tearing it down shortly.


Here we go. :D
Rating: 3 Votes
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AppleScruff1
98 months ago

The cake probably tastes like garbage.

I've had cakes with designs like that before, and calling them "edible" is the same as calling paper "edible". The design literally peels right off... it's just a layer of fondant. And for those who have never eaten fondant before, let me tell you, fondant sucks. Though it's made of only sugar and water, it tastes nothing like sugar or water (or soda, which is also just sugar and water.)


It's an iPad cake. It will be magically delicious. :D
Rating: 3 Votes
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KingJosh
98 months ago

I'll say it, that cake sucks, heh


you can't just say that without giving a reason or it makes you look jealous.
Rating: 2 Votes
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G5isAlive
98 months ago
I don't know whether to laugh or ... oh heck I am laughing. IFixIt has travelled halfway around the globe to beat father time and tear the thing apart before its even opening day here in the states? Too funny that I will see the iPads guts here before I even have the chance to open my shiny new box tomorrow (go FedEx!).
Rating: 2 Votes
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FloatingBones
98 months ago
Will all of the accessory iPads in Apple Stores be replaced tonight?

Will Apple immediately replace all of those iPads in the plastic cases used to display product information for all machines in the Apple Stores?
Rating: 2 Votes
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JangoFett124
98 months ago
I wonder if they'll be replacing the iPads used for displaying product information about the corresponding product as well. That would be a ton of new iPads for limited use.
Rating: 2 Votes
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greytmom
98 months ago
The tear downs freak me out and fascinate me, all at the same time.

And what a fun cake - I want some!
Rating: 2 Votes
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charlituna
98 months ago

I wonder if they'll be replacing the iPads used for displaying product information about the corresponding product as well. That would be a ton of new iPads for limited use.


My guess. No. At least not right off. Because that would pull sellable stock. Plus since they are very possibly 16 GB wifi iPad 2 units they are still an on sale item.

Same with the internal use iPads by the techs etc, they likely won't swap those until the rush is basically dead. The ones they use for workshops will be the only not on a display iPad (3 gen) that they would change out now.
Rating: 1 Votes

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