(Newser)
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The new iPad is here, and once again, Steve Wozniak is first in line for the latest Apple gadget. Sure, the Apple co-founder could get his hands on one without waiting in line, notes Mashable, but "it's become a ritual," he says in Los Angeles. "I wanna be one of the real people, who line up and wait all night. ... Apple’s just that important to us." The company's stores are opening at 8am across 10 countries today; for some stores, that's much earlier than usual.
Some 200 people were in line in Sydney; a Tokyo Apple store drew 450; several hundred waited for the device in London. Dozens gathered days ago in Hong Kong, prompting a special reservation system, the Wall Street Journal reports. Who knows "what compels people to stand in line for hours for a product they don't need that they can buy in seconds online," wonders Henry Blodget at Business Insider. "Fanaticism? Desire to follow the herd? Adrenalin? Whatever it is, it's powerful. And infectious."
