Hundreds of excited customers queued round the block in central Sydney as Apple's iPad hit shops outside the United States for the first time.
Security guards patrolled a line of people which stretched about 200 metres outside the company's flagship store, following an overnight vigil by the most ardent fans.
Pushing and shoving broke out amongst a phalanx of media as Rahul Koduri -- who had queued for some 30 hours since arriving at the shop at 2:00 am the previous morning -- became the first buyer.
"It's fantastic, it was so worth the wait," said the 22-year-old.
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The iPad -- a touchscreen computer targeted at the leisure market -- is also going on sale in Japan, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland today as part of a staggered global roll-out.
The international launch date was pushed back by a month after huge demand in the United States, where one million iPads were sold in the first 28 days after the product's debut in early April.
Anoop Lad, 35, who was third in the Sydney queue, said about 15 people braved chilly conditions for the overnight wait.
"Conversation was good, interesting people. Everyone was hyped. We played some cards, we chatted. We talked about Apple stuff," he said.
"I came prepared. It's the middle of winter really so I had a snowboarding jacket and warm clothes."
Shop staff clapped and cheered as the devices were sold. Outside, the crowd bemused early morning commuters as they pushed past on their way to work.
"It's crazy," muttered one.
The iPad range starts at $A629 for the basic Wi-Fi model, while a 64GB version that runs on advanced 3G phone networks is priced at $1,049.
California-based Apple plans to bring the iPad to Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore in July.
