The answering service 63336 (text a question, get an answer; note pricing) has been going where lots of people already were – the queue for the iPad outside Apple's Regent Street store in London. And there it carried out an exit poll to find out some salient facts. So:
• When the doors opened at 7.55am, there were 451 people in the queue (rather higher than the five when I went there at 4pm on Thursday). Not long after the number grew to more than 1,000.
• The most popular model was the 32GB 3G version (£599) – 33% opted for it. The average selling price, based on the preferences (see table below) is £580. (That compares to £559 if people were just buying iPad models at random evenly across the range.)
• 3G models are outselling Wi-Fi models by 3-to-1 (74% to 26%).
• 38% of queuers only used an Apple Mac; 37% had both a Mac and PC; 25% only used PCs. 17-year-old student Jake Lee, at the head of the queue, has a Dell Vostro and an ageing PowerMac G4.
• Age and sex: 36% were in the 26-39 age group; 26% in the 18-25 range. 11% were older than Steve Jobs (55); 5% admitted having a pair of John Lennon circular glasses a la Jobs. (This leaves 27% either under 18 or in the 40-55 age range.) 92% were male (16% with beards; no mention of sandals) and, yes, 8% female.
• 84% were buying for themselves, 16% for other people.
• Surprisingly – given that the device has only been officially available in the US until now – 44% had already tried one before. The other 56% were buying based on reviews, perceived success or "blind faith in Apple products" (to quote 63336, which might have hit the spot there).
• How long? Lee started the queue, at 1155am on Thursday. 52% queued overnight (so the queue must have grown dramatically from the afternoon..) - of whom 25% did it from 4am, 1% from 5am, 13% from 6am, and 9% from 7am.
• Why? Why queue rather than order online? "For the atmosphere" and "to be there", according to 44%. However, 2% (only?) said they were "die-hard" Mac fans; 29% "couldn't admit" why. (This is puzzling.) Perhaps significantly, 25% thought that the Apple Store was the only place where it would be available. Wrong! It's also available nationwide from Currys, Dixons (aka Currys Digital) and PC World, where reports of queues have not been heard.
• The nitty-gritty: what is the point of the iPad? 57% said they'd use it principally to browse the net; 27% for apps (12% for games alone); 9% for listening to music; 4% for reading books; 3% for watching films and TV.
And finally, there's a table of who wanted what – though remember, it's only representative of the queue. Though that's quite an impressive queue. What double-dip recession?