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People wait in line for the release of the iPad on Friday at the Apple Store in New York City. Employees set up barriers to control the throngs expected to line up for the $499 device, which went on sale yesterday. Image Credit: AFP

New York: Apple's much-anticipated iPad has gone on sale.

Eager customers have been lining up outside Apple Stores and some Best Buy electronics stores to be among the first to buy one as sales started at 9am (1300 GMT) Saturday in each time zone.

Carlos Herrera came to New York from Barcelona, Spain, because it won't be on sale there for a few more weeks. The 33-year-old school teacher says he wants to show his colleagues how the device can be used in classrooms. He's turned his iPad trip into a weeklong vacation.

Still, once the initial iPad excitement settles, Apple will need to convince people who may already have smart phones, laptops, set-top boxes and home broadband connections to buy yet another device with many of the same functions.