It was a special occasion for Apple fans in Sydney’s Eastern suburbs this morning as the company’s iPad tablet went on sale and Apple’s new Bondi Junction store opened its doors for the first time — both at 8AM.

In the half an hour before the new store’s doors opened, dozens of Apple staff wearing blue ‘iPad’ shirts ran up and down the line of dozens of fans lining up in the cold to buy an iPad.

Then as the big black covers were taken off the inside of the new store, everyone got their first peek at the spotless interior — including four large trees at the back of the room.

Apple staff started going crazy, shouting “warm up!” as they got ready to invite customers and an assembled journalist pack into the store.

Finally the doors were opened and dozens of customers streamed into the store, to be greeted by Apple gift packs and staff ready to sell them some of Sydney’s first iPads.

The rumours were true — Apple’s new Bondi Junction store does have four trees, although it’s not the vision of green that some had imagined.

Related posts:

1. New Bondi Junction Apple Store: Video tour
2. Apple to open Bondi store on iPad day
3. Has Apple delayed Aussie iPad launch?
4. Sydney Apple iPad queue is huge
5. Lining up for an iPad does not make you crazy

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1. Me
   Posted 28/05/2010 at 10:57 pm | Permalink | Reply

   This is just plain weird and very fake.

   Its like they are all on drugs wtf.

   • Patrick
     Posted 29/05/2010 at 12:56 am | Permalink | Reply

     “This is just plain weird and very fake.

     Its like they are all on drugs wtf.”

     Translation: I am superior and sophisticated. I would call myself jaded if I knew what that meant. I am better than you. All enthusiasm is bad.

     • Nick
       Posted 29/05/2010 at 8:28 am | Permalink | Reply

       The first poster has a point, all that running and cheering is fake to the point it’s nauseating. I’d feel seriously embarrassed having to run up and down in front of queuing customers like some show monkey.

       • Renai LeMay
         Posted 29/05/2010 at 1:45 pm | Permalink | Reply

         I dunno, personally I felt it was a good atmosphere to project for those that waited all night in the cold and the rain for the chance to buy an iPad directly from Apple. You gotta give the punters something.

         The irony, of course, is that it was pretty damn easy to buy an iPad yesterday in Sydney — third-party shops all over the place, such as Myer and Dick Smith (including one shop just around the corner from the Bondi Junction Apple Store) were selling them … but everyone wanted to go to an official Apple store.

2. Nigel
   Posted 29/05/2010 at 1:03 pm | Permalink | Reply

   Looks like they solved world hunger by all that excitement. Oh wait, it’s something more important than real life issue’s, it’s the release of another consumer “required” product.

   Ahh, and then most customers seem to be recording their grand entrance on their iPhones… that’ll certainly be a video worth showing to the children 15 years from now.

   What an epic moment in history…

   • Renai LeMay
     Posted 29/05/2010 at 1:46 pm | Permalink | Reply

     Heh you gotta get excited about something in this life ;) It might as well be consumer electronics ;) I thought it was pretty great that people went to all that effort — shows the technology community in action in Australia, in a way ordinary people can understand. But there are obviously multiple views on it.

3. Douglas
   Posted 31/05/2010 at 12:18 am | Permalink | Reply

   It’s people like this that make me ashamed to be a nerd, and make me question the fate of humanity. A shiny tablet that can do bugger all, ooh, let’s all make a huge fuss over it.

   Ahem.

4. Douglas
   Posted 31/05/2010 at 12:20 am | Permalink | Reply

   After seeing this insanity on the news, I have come to the conclusion that it’s people like this who give nerdery a bad name. I seriously wanted to punch someone, it made me that angry. Seeing this reignited that feeling.

5. Luciano Fuentes
   Posted 31/05/2010 at 2:03 pm | Permalink | Reply

   I love technology, I own both an iPhone and an iPad, and have little time for smug Apple haters.

   But I have to admit – that vision is plain weird. They are visions of religious revival and rapture… not a product launch. If they were all chanting the name of some god there’d be outrage and demands for Apple to stop brainwashing those poor kids.

   • Renai LeMay
     Posted 31/05/2010 at 3:07 pm | Permalink | Reply

     For me, it was a lot of fun and excitement, and I was there :) I wish more corporations would get their staff as excited about stuff as Apple does it’s staff. It’s a reason to get out of bed in the morning! But I do agree it’s got more of an American feel than an Australian ;)