If getting an iPad on the day it launches is key to you, you can always hit one of The downside: That will mean waiting in line. With the iPad not going on sale until 5 p.m. local time on March 11, you can also expect queues to get quite lengthy, with some Apple fans lining well in advance for a place near the front. That happened with , where the lucky person at the front of the line at the Fifth Avenue Apple Store spent the night there. And that was when Apple still took pre-orders for the iPad.

As a further incentive to brave the crowds of next Friday's iPad 2 launch, Apple is promising free personal setup for your new tablet. Store staffers can also advise you on rate plans if you're opting for a 3G-equipped model. (We've got our own for your reference.)

Of course, there's an easy enough way to avoid long lines at an Apple retail store--wait a few days for the initial crush of early adopters to die down. If history is any guide, a week after the iPad 2's release, you should be able to stroll right into an Apple Store and pick up a new tablet without much of a wait... other than the seven days you've already waited while other users got first crack at the iPad 2, that is.

Since releasing the first iPad in April 2010, Apple has expanded the retail reach of its tablet to stores run by its cellular network partners, , as well as general-interest department stores like . That trend is continuing with the iPad 2 launch.