(starting a new thread for actual experiences vs preship stuff)

I was going to hold off till I could post hands on info, but the experience this morning is worth telling. I decided a while back that the iPad is likely to be a great system for my grandmother to use, and I planned on buying a WiFi only model for her. Before giving it to her though, I'd use it for a bit to get used to it and then if I liked it, I'd buy a 3G model later. So I pre ordered a 32gb unit and selected the in store pickup. Apple confirmed earlier this week that a unit would be waiting for me between 9am and 3pm.

Fast forward to today. I woke up to arrive around 8:45am, figuring I should get there early enough to also have a chance at accessories if they were limited. Attacked at the bottom of the post is the line when I arrived.

Apple ended up paying the local coffee shop next door to provide everyone free coffee or water while waiting, and they also provided umbrellas for shade. Also out in the front area was some people from the Gold Class Cinemas. They had two of their fully reclining movie theater seats out for people to sit in, and they gave away free membership cards and a free movie ticket for use when they open in May. Promptly at 9am, the store opened and the first people went in to buy their units. By around 9:45, I was in the store, and was escorted to the back to make the purchase. At the back, they asked what size unit was preordered, and people who bought the 16 or 64gb units were moved over to the right, while 32gb preorders went to the left. I found the division odd, and quickly found out why. It seems UPS failed to deliver the 32gb shipment overnight as expected. They offered me the choice of changing units, but I decided to stick with the 32, as they expected them to arrive sometime soon. Now comes the part that explains why Apple is constantly rated well for customer service and satisfaction. Without me complaining or saying a word, they handed over a $100 iTunes gift card as an apology for not having the unit on hand, and took down my cell phone number to call when the unit did arrive. They also handed me a ticket to use when I came back to be able to just walk in the store and buy it. They could have just said "Well, it will be here by 3pm, come back later", but they decided to be nice up front and give a consolation away for another companies screwup.

Since they expected the shipment in anytime soon, I decided to eat breakfast next door instead of heading home. After finishing up breakfast, and a bit of wandering, I left around noon to run another errand. The line when I left was still about as long as the photo, with mostly more people coming to pic up their reserved units. Shortly after 1pm they called and let me know the unit was in. Ended up getting back over to the store around 2pm, and by then there was no one in the reserved line, and about 100 people in line waiting to buy the stock they had left over.