Two apple fans cheer as they bought the iPad after a whole night's waiting in an Apple distribution store in California, USA. [Xinhua]

For Ian Hamilton, a writer with the Orange County Register, a local newspaper in Southern California, Saturday marked the day when his laptop died, as Apple Inc.'s much-anticipated iPad tablet computer went on sale on the day.

"My personal laptop will likely be deeded to my wife. The battery only lasts 2-3 hours, if I'm lucky," he wrote in his blog. "It's clunky and huge by comparison. It burns my lap when I actually put it on my lap.

"I don't think I'll miss it," he declared.

Numerous Apple fans thronged to Apple outlets and Best Buy stores in Southern California Saturday morning to buy new touch- screen iPad, Apple's first tablet-like computer. Apple Inc. began to put its latest product on sale at 221 outlets and most Best Buy chain stores across the United States from the day. To make sure they are lucky enough to have one, many customers lined up in front of the stores overnight, snacked on cookies and kept themselves warm with winter coats and blankets.

People queued up in two lines, one was for pre-ordered customers, the other for purchasers. For most of the stores, customers numbered less than 100, which was in stark contract to 2007 when Apple's cell phone iPhone was put on sale in America.