Hundreds of customers lined up outside Apple stores across the country on Friday for the international launch of the iPad 2, which launched in the United States on March 11 amidst high demand.
Customers arrived at the Apple store at Toronto’s Eaton Centre as early as 7.30 a.m. on Thursday to ensure they secured the new second generation Apple product.
According to analysts, about a million units were sold in the first weekend in the U.S. The iPad 2 is thinner and faster than its predecessor, and features two cameras.
The new model was made available in 25 countries on Friday, including Canada, Australia, Europe, and New Zealand.
Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said on Tuesday the company was "working hard to build enough iPads for everyone" as the company struggled to meet U.S. demand.
The first iPad, which went on sale a year ago, sold 500,000 units in the first week and crossed the 1 million unit mark in 28 days. Nearly 15 million iPads were sold in nine months of 2010, two or three times as many as analysts had predicted.
Analysts expect the company to sell 30 million or more this year, generating close to $20 billion in sales, even as other companies launch their own devices.
Canadian backpacker Alex Lee, a veteran of Apple product launches, was the first to claim his iPad 2 at the Apple store in Sydney where he had been in line for two nights.
"If it wasn’t for the iPad, I wouldn’t be in Australia right now," said Lee, who had already bought an iPad 2 in the United States. "It’s like a habit. I’ve also lined up on Regent Street in London for the iPhone."
Related: Tech expert Steve Makris reviews the iPad 2.
With files from Reuters
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