iPad Mini hits Apple stores (pictures)

The aftermath of Hurricane Sandy couldn't deter eager Apple fanboys from getting in line for the iPad Mini.

Roger Cheng

Nov. 2, 2012 11:59 a.m. PT

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Marguerite Reardon/CNET

Getting an early start to the iPad Mini wait

People started lining up in New York City at 10 p.m. Thursday for the iPad Mini.

CNET review: Apple's iPad Mini: The perfect size, but at a price

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Marguerite Reardon/CNET

iPad Mini still draws a crowd

Apparently, the limited public transportation and a blackout over a large chunk of Manhattan didn't deter people from getting to the Cube on Fifth Ave., which still has power. At 7 a.m. ET on Friday, people are already lining up for iPad Mini in front of Apple's flagship store.

CNET review: Apple's iPad Mini: The perfect size, but at a price

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Marguerite Reardon/CNET

Business as usual

The Apple Store on Fifth, like most of upper Manhattan, did not suffer any flooding or power outages due to Hurricane Sandy, which hit the city Monday evening. For Apple, it's business as usual. Here is the store plaza around 8:20 a.m ET.

CNET review: Apple's iPad Mini: The perfect size, but at a price

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Ty Pendleton/CNET

Upper West Side draws fans early

Chris Sanders decided to show up at Apple's Upper West Side store around 3:30 a.m. ET today, and was among the first in line. The Web developer from Harlem wanted an iPad Mini because "I have big muscles but the iPad is very heavy." He says he made a spur of the moment decision to come. "I was writing code in the middle of the night," he said. "And I thought, 'Oh, I'll see if anyone is standing in line.'"

CNET review: Apple's iPad Mini: The perfect size, but at a price

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Ty Pendlebury/CNET

Apple's Upper West Side store

There were about 60 people who got in line at the Upper West Side Apple store in Manhattan.

CNET review: Apple's iPad Mini: The perfect size, but at a price

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First with the iPad Mini

Andrew Li was the first person in line. Here he poses with his new iPad Mini.

CNET review: Apple's iPad Mini: The perfect size, but at a price

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Marguerite Reardon

No one was at the Apple Store on West 14th Street in Manhattan for the launch of the iPad Mini. There were still sand bags here, a reminder of the flooding that struck the city during Hurricane Sandy. And it's a stark contrast to long lines uptown where life seems to have returned to normal.

CNET review: Apple's iPad Mini: The perfect size, but at a price

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D.C. gets in on the iPad Mini launch

Gabriel Perez (left) and his father Nelson Perez are from Brazil but took time out during their visit to Washington D.C. to buy a couple of iPad Minis.

CNET review: Apple's iPad Mini: The perfect size, but at a price

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Josh Lowensohn/CNET

Apple still draws a crowd in San Francisco

The line at about 7:10 a.m. PT at the downtown San Francisco store.

CNET review: Apple's iPad Mini: The perfect size, but at a price

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At the front of the line.

The entrance to the San Francisco Apple store.

CNET review: Apple's iPad Mini: The perfect size, but at a price

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iPad Mini on display

The iPad Mini on display at the San Francisco Apple store.

CNET review: Apple's iPad Mini: The perfect size, but at a price

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Bright lights at Palo Alto store

A shot taken just before 7 a.m. PT in Palo Alto, Calif. There's about 50 people waiting outside the newly opened Apple Store on University Avenue, two blocks down from the former Palo Alto location.

CNET review: Apple's iPad Mini: The perfect size, but at a price