Waiting 50 hours to buy an iPad 2? Just a bit of fun

By Andrew Ramadge Alex Lee is taking time out of his holiday to wait two days in line for an iPad 2. The catch? He already has one.

iPad 2

TRAVEL through Asia. Catch up with friends. Wait in line for 50 hours to buy a gadget you already own.

These are some of the things that Alex Lee, 27, is doing on holiday.

"I was backpacking in Asia, and I already have my iPad 2, but my sister needed one so I said, OK, I'll come down," Mr Lee told news.com.au.

"Since my cousin lives here and I have friends here, I said why not, let's do this, let's have some fun."

Mr Lee, who lives in Canada but previously studied in Sydney, today became the first person to start camping outside Sydney's Apple Store for the launch of the iPad 2.

He's in for quite a wait — the gadget doesn't go on sale until 5pm on Friday afternoon.

"I'll probably break the 50 hour mark," Mr Lee said, after arriving around noon on Wednesday.

"I have with me a tent, some blankets, a chair that my friend brought me, some shirts, my college in Manly is bringing me some (more) shirts, and that's pretty much it.

"Apple Store Sydney has very graciously offered to give me water, help me recharge my peripherals, help me stand in line if I need to get food, so for that, I'm really grateful.

"I care for a company that cares for its people."

Mr Lee has experience at this sort of thing. He spent 32 hours at London's Regent Street Apple Store for the launch of the iPhone 4 last year.

However his old school friend and line-up buddy Marius Eilertsen, second in the queue, is a relative first-timer.

"We went to uni together about four or five years ago, so we just stayed in touch and I know he's a mad Apple fan," Mr Eilertsen said.

Mr Eilertsen, a 29-year-old sales worker from Sydney, didn't prepare quite as thoroughly as Mr Lee, but didn't seem worried.

"I brought a chair and a blanket, and that's about it. I'll get more supplies when I need them," he said.

"Hopefully my wife will bring me stuff. She gets the house to herself, so yeah."

And what does Mr Lee think of the iPad 2, which he's already using?

"I think it's amazing," he said.

"It's a lot thinner, it's a lot lighter, it feels a lot more sturdy and it seems a lot more nimble when I do things, so I'm really, truly enjoying it."

Mr Lee will be posting updates from the queue on Twitter at @alexglee.