Apple enthusiasts every where! Rejoice! News is starting to pop up on various blogs today that those who pre-ordered their iPads on the first day of availability started getting shipping notices. 9To5Mac and Macrumors provide separate reports of the glorious news on their sites.

This news is likely to kick off a frenzied week of lead up to the first public usage of the iPad. I’m sure it’s no coincidence the first units shipped today; the beginning of a build up orchestrated by Apple. Already we’ve seen more and more previews of iPad-specific Apps come out through official and unofficial channels. That trend will likely continue the rest of the week as an almost carnival atmosphere builds around the launch. It will be interesting to see how much Apple does to encourage or discourage lines and fanboys camping outside of stores before the launch. I’m sure many Apple Stores will open at midnight on the 3rd to build on the fanfare around the device. You have to appreciate the masterful way Apple is subtlety directing the energy.

All of this shouldn’t really be a surprise. Anyone who has followed Apple knows one of their main competencies is marketing. They were using viral and guerilla marketing to great effect long before it became common practice among big companies. It’s their great brilliance in marketing that has generated the demand and interest in the iPad. While I’m sure the device itself is technically excellent, I hope it can live up to all of the anticipation used to sell it.

And to those of you hoping your FedEx guy might show up a little early with a white box with your name on it, I have bad news. Apple has given very explicit instructions that the iPad not be delivered before April 3rd, regardless of availability. I’m sure one or two may slip through the cracks but this is too big an item for any kind of mass mistake. So sit back and decide what you want to do on Saturday while you wait for the courier to show up.

What do you think of the frenzy and anticipation Apple has built around the iPad launch? Is Apple’s Ninja-like marketing skills really just selling a great product or selling you on a great product. Are you waiting with anticipation for an iPad to show up on Saturday? Let us know in the comments section.

[9to5Mac] [Macrumors]

Advertisement