""I had it reserved, but I wanted to have the experience of just being here," said Vega, who was rewarded for showing up at 5 a.m. Saturday with being first in line at this western Massachusetts store.

Standing about four people behind Vega, Russell Sabadosa felt the same way. "I had it reserved," said Sabadosa, who spent much of the time before the store opened its doors at 9 a.m. chatting excitedly about the iPad, Apple, and everything in-between with his fellow line-goers. "But I wanted to have the experience of just being here."

That scene played out in cities across the country Saturday, as the at Apple Stores, Best Buy outlets, and Apple-authorized resellers. After months of hype that kicked off when , customers could finally get their hands on the Wi-Fi version of the device, which comes in 16, 32, and 64GB capacities and starts at $499.

In New York, a crowd of nearly 1000 people mobbed , though members of the press made up a good chunk of the people waiting outside for the 9 a.m. opening. Reporters flocked around those in the front of the line, pointing cameras and microphones at the tired Apple fans, some of whom soaked up the attention while others were visibly annoyed.

Ten seconds before the store opened, Apple employees led the crowd in an enthusiastic New Years-style countdown. As soon as the doors opened, the first customers walked down the Fifth Avenue outlet's spiral staircase as dozens of Apple Store employees cheered enthusiastically. Many of the customers were videotaping their descent down the staircase, embracing the moment.