It's iPad launch day.

And that means...

Well, you know what that means. It means that the semi-annual ritual for thousands upon thousands of Apple fans has begun.

We'd like to be able to offer some special insight into what compels people to stand in line for hours for a product they don't need that they can buy in seconds online.

But we're afraid we don't have any special insight into that.

Fanaticism?

Desperate desire to follow the herd?

Adrenalin?

Whatever. As ever, we'll just sit back and be amazed and inspired by...

Australia: Jonathan Hakim became one of the first people in the world to get a new iPad.

Tokyo

The UK

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See Also:

• Apple Shares Hit $600.01 In Pre-Market
• Steve Wozniak Has Been Waiting In Line For An iPad Since Thursday At Noon
• Roger McNamee Thinks Google Should Build A Chrome Phone, And Twitter Is Being Run Into The Ground