iPad Launch Brings Back Familiar Faces, “Changes Lives”

If you’re reading this right now, you already know what day it is: iPad day.

We headed down to the 5th Ave. flagship store in Manhattan this morning to see just how crazy things would get, but truth be told, the mood was quiet. In fact, the media seemed to be the most raucous, while soon-to-be iPad owners simply tried to keep warm in the freezing mist.

Since it was before the crack of dawn, many of the people standing in line were still rather sleepy, but as I searched through the crowd for an enthusiastic face, I came up with a familiar one instead. Remember that girl who stood in line for 40 hours when the iPad 2 launched, only so she could sell her spot for $900?

She’s baaaaaaack. Unfortunately, her big offers (one topping out at $2,000) fell through. Maybe it was because she wasn’t first in line this time, but third.

We also caught up with the second person to leave the Apple Store with an iPad (NY1, Bloomberg, and others believe he was the first, but the first actually ran off without speaking to the media). Number Two flew in from Brazil to pick one up for his friend and himself, and seemed intensely emotional about it.

“Apple products have changed my life,” he said.