iPad 2 Release Draws a Crowd at Freehold Raceway Mall

Apple fans were out in force at the Freehold Raceway Mall on Friday for the release of the iPad 2. Customers began waiting outside the Apple Store at 9 a.m. and a line of well over 100 snaked around the Starbucks and neared Lord & Taylor. Mall employees provided water and coffee to those waiting.

Chris Minucci, of Old Bridge, said he was impressed by the sleekness, speed and battery life of the iPad 2. Minucci and Mike Catalano, of Staten Island, got on line at 9:30 a.m. to be among the first to purchase the product.

“It’s a thrill,” Minucci said of the experience.  “You want to be the first one to have the device.”

The Apple Store closed for two hours as employees readied the store for the rush when the iPad 2 went on sale at 5 p.m.

Bryan Nardone, of Brick, didn’t purchase the first incarnation of the iPad but was looking forward to the second. He also liked being a part of the experience of waiting in line for a new Apple product that wasn’t an early morning release.

“It’s more convenient to do it now (in the afternoon),” Nardone said.