Aussies snap up 'gorgeous' iPad

Apple's iPad went on sale in Australia this morning. Photo / Getty Images

SYDNEY - "Gorgeous", "Fantastic", "Worth the wait" - that's what tech-lovers said of the iPad after enduring a long, cold night camped out the front of Apple's flagship Sydney store.

About 230 iPad fans, stretching three city blocks, were lined up outside the George Street store on Friday morning to be among the first to get their hands on the long-awaited touchscreen tablet computer.

Friday was the first day the new technology was available outside the US, where Apple has sold one-million iPads in the first 28 days.

In Sydney city, the crowd reached fever pitch as the first customers crossed the threshold at 8am (AEST), while dozens of employees inside erupted into spontaneous applause to welcome the Apple fanatics.

But the launch turned ugly as a tussle broke out between a photographer and a security guard after an Apple photographer stepped in front of the media scrum, blocking their shots.

Rahul Koduri was the first in line at the George Street store after setting up camp on Thursday at 2am to ensure he would be the first in the city to grab a new iPad, which retails at A$629 ($775) for the base model.

The 22-year-old Blacktown resident, who was slightly bleary eyed after his 30-hour vigil, said the iPad was a new era for technology.

"It's beautiful," he said, holding two of the nine-inch touchscreen computers.

"It was so worth the wait.

"One of these is for me, of course, and the other is for a family member."

Ayanthi Viswanathan, who had been in the line since 6am, said she "just had to have the iPad", a slim black device that resembles a larger version of Apple's iPhone and allows users to watch video, listen to music, play games, surf the web or read electronic books.

"I have totally bought into all the hype," the Hornsby resident said.

"It's bizarre, I've got my iMac computer and my iPhone and I would probably buy anything that had an i in front of it.

"I just love the branding of it.

Ash Gupta, who had been in the queue since 5am, said he wanted to be the first to have the iPad at the University of Technology.

"The iPad is cool," the Chippendale resident said.

"I will be the first in my uni to get one."

An Apple spokesman in the CBD store would not disclose how many iPads were currently available in Australia, but said numbers were limited.

He said iPads that had been ordered through the Apple website would be delivered from Friday.

Australians can buy one of two models of the iPad: the Wi-Fi or the Wi-Fi+3G, which allows for fast cellular phone network access when users are not within range of a Wi-Fi network.

Prices start at A$629 and go up to A$1049.

- AAP