Regent Street, London, 2 pm: Six hours after opening time and the queue for iPads still stretches round the block. There's real iPad frenzy inside the store and the small display of accessories is groaning under the strain as fans grab docks, cases and extra 10-watt chargers.
Apple have drafted in dozens of extra blueshirts and the level of service is excellent. I grabbed a Vodafone micro-SIM card (3GB a month for £15) and got royal treatment during the signing-on process. The system was up and running within five minutes and I feel, at last, that my iPad has been freed from the restrictions of wi-fi.
Having used the device largely on wi-fi for the past three weeks I am now convinced that the 3G model is the only choice.
If the scene at Regent Street is anything to go by, international sales during the first week are going to beat all expectations.