The global launch today of the Apple iPad 2 is a big success for the product that has some key changes to it compared with the original iPad released last year.

The launch in Tauranga saw early morning queues formed at Technology Centre on 4^th Avenue and the store phone rang constantly in the morning with people asking for the product.

Christien Marx , co-owner of the Technology Centre with the new iPad 2 shown for the first time at the 5pm release time at the SunLive iPad Demo Day.

'We had people standing in front of the store before we opened,” says Technology Centre co-owner Christien Marx, who estimates the shop phone rang some 50 times in the morning with queries about the product.

The iPad 2 was not allowed to be sold from the day's open, however, with Apple providing strict instruction that it could not be sold until 5pm.

Once 5pm struck, iPad 2 stock did not last long.

'We sold out in 15 minutes,” says Christien, who anticipated the rush, 'with any Apple launch you can expect to get this interest”.

This meant there were many people who missed out, however, their names were taken and Christien says these people are next in line when more stock arrives.

'We have got another shipment coming in next week and we will help those ones first.”

The iPad2 has several key differences to the original iPad.

As well as having a built-in camera, faster processing power and a new thinner and lighter design a major selling point of the new iPad is a cover that doubles as a stand.

These changes are expected to further increase the iPad's broad market appeal, which is wide, and in Tauranga alone young children through to senior citizens are excited by it.

Popularity and interest in the original iPad was seen today at No.1 The Strand where Technology Centre, in conjunction with SunLive, held a general iPad information day.

More than 100 people attended the information session where Technology Centre co-owner Werner Marx enjoyed educating people about the original iPad.

'It's a robust, magical device,” says Werner, who explains the appeal of the product is that 'out of the box it works” and that 'it is a base product which you can then customise”.

He says a teenager who wants to use it for gaming can download games onto it, while a business person can download business applications and a general user can use it for tasks such as email.

Its ease of use is also a major reason why the iPad is popular.

At the Technology Centre and SunLive information day, Werner says as well as showing a group of seniors how to use it, including a 93-year-old woman, a three-year-old boy showed he was competent with it.

'The curly blonde boy came in with his mother and he sat there with the iPad for a couple of hours.”