Buying the iPad2

Oh Apple... how is it you make me want things I don't need.  And then how is it you make me need things I have?

The new Apple iPad2 was released at 5pm local time, March 11, 2011.  I had been watching the updates about it before the release, and feeling this growing urge inside me which I consistently rebuked.  I mentioned to the hubs that I wanted one for my birthday in May.  (Of course I couldn't wait that long...)  On the day of, my husband, full of good intentions went to the Apple store around 10am.  There had been a line there since 6am - when the mall opened.  He left & went about his day.

We returned at 6pm to find an even longer line.  Actually, we learned there were 2 sets of lines - 1 was for people waiting to buy their iPad2, and the other was a line of people waiting to get their tickets to get into the other line.  Seriously?  I didn't need one that bad - and I hate lines anyway.  So we moved on - we had a nice dinner, drank some wine, some espresso & had a little TiraMisu.

With re-found energy, we decided to check Best Buy - they were all sold out, in fact the few that were on hold were in this massive cage, sitting next to their Apply Care counterparts waiting for new owners.  There was one more spot where there was a glimmer of hope... Micro Center.  We traipsed in - I was leading of course, and made a beeline for the Apple department.  All Apple iPad2's were sold out.  But they were only released 5 for that day.  5.  Can you imagine?  5.  So, yeah - those were spoken for pretty early.  The hope came in when he said that they had a definite shipment coming the next day & would we like to put $25 down on a white 32GB Wi-Fi model to secure one.  Trying to seem unconcerned in my blissful state of wine-espresso-TiraMisu... "Sure."

And that's what we did.  The following day we were up fairly early... the anticipation of holding my new toy propelled us out of the house to breakfast.  Halfway into my French toast - we got the call.  "Your new iPad2 is in." Suddenly my toast didn't taste as necessary as it did a second ago.  My head started buzzing with the intensity only familiar to tech geeks.  We headed over there, made the same beeline as the night before & anxiously awaited the guy to bring out my new baby.  While we were waiting another guy came up & said he was just over at the Apple store where there was another line formed of people waiting just to hear if they were going to get a shipment!

He brought out the box & my eyes became fixated on it while he offered Apple care "yes, yes"... My arms reached out for it & he pulled it back a little "let me walk you guys up to the front".  I'm thinking "give me my damn iPad already dude" with the sweet, fake smile of anxiety.  Finally it was our turn to check out... my sweet hubs paid for the whole shebang (for which he was rewarded later) and I walked out triumphant.  How I longed to make the run by the line in front of the Apple store screaming "I got mine bitches!"

We did eventually make it over the Apple store that day to buy a smart cover & iTunes gift cards.  I really had my heart set on the blue one - but in person it was more of a pastel blue than the beautiful aqua blue in the product shots, so I went for my second fave - the granny apple green. *swoon*  I also bought a chunk of iTunes gift cards.  I'm still kinda funny about having anything tied directly to any account of mine - plus - my iTunes account was hacked last year - and someone purchased a 99¢ app - because that's all I had left on my last gift card.  Won that battle.

So after a wee bit of shopping, we stopped at Starbucks for a little pick me up and to open the box.  I LOVE opening Apple product boxes.  There's something so poetic & triumphant about opening their impeccably designed packages.  (My favorite unveiling of all time was my MacBook.)  So... I opened the box, slowly, carefully & held my new iPad2 for the first time ever.  It is really pretty.  They make such pretty electronic things.  I opened my new smart cover & it snapped on like it was a teenage boy on a third date.  They really were made for each other.

We finished our coffees & headed home to sync.  The sync took quite a bit of time because it synced EVERY app my hubs or I have ever downloaded.  After that was done, I spent the rest of the day deleting his "man apps" (Sweet Feet honey?  really? ...ahem) and organizing my iPad2.  I was in love.