Julian Scholl, CEO of advertising firm Zum Goldenen Hirschen, said he would like to use Skype for videoconferencing through the iPad. The lack of a video camera affects those capabilities. But he plans to buy the product in the next month when the iPad is released in Germany as the Apple products are important to the advertising industry.

Many of the buyers lining up to purchase the device were owners of Apple products including the iPhone and Macbook.

Users will be able to connect to Apple's iTunes stores to purchase music, movies and TV shows. Close to 8,500 movies will be available for the iPad, including more than 2,500 in high definition, said Brian Marshall, an analyst at Broadpoint Amtech this week. More than 55,000 TV show episodes will be available and CBS and ABC will stream shows to the iPad.

Apple is also entering the book and news distribution business with the device. The company is introducing the iBooks application in the App Store for users to browse and buy e-books. Top book publishers including HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Penguin Group and Macmillan will make e-books available through the store.

Electronic textbooks will be available from McGraw-Hill, Houghton Mifflin, Pearson and Kaplan. News and magazine content will be provided by publishers including The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and Associated Press.