Customers lined up for the iPad mini in near record numbers at the Fifth Ave Apple Store today, reports FORTUNE.
Shortly before 8 a.m., when the store usually opens for a new launch, I had a headcount of 550. According to the records Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster has been keeping since 2008 (see below), that's more customers than turned out for the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4S. And by 9:56 a.m. -- four minutes before the doors finally opened -- I counted 801 men, women and children. Only the iPhone 4 (1,300) and iPad 2 (1,190) drew bigger crowds.
Piper Jaffray has released their numbers which should a count of 580 for the iPad mini, likely calculated at around 8 a.m.
Hong Kong (CNN) -- The iPad Mini made its global sales debut Friday, but the lines of fans outside many stores were much smaller than previous Apple debuts.
By midday, the line at Apple's flagship store in Hong Kong to pick up reserved devices had five people, a far cry from the throngs that turned out for the iPad 2 debut here last year.