I was hoping I would get lucky at one of my two local, independently-owned Apple dealers–until I learned of their situation. There are now EIGHTEEN iPad SKUS available in the U.S., and only four of them met my needs (AT&T, 32 or 64GB, in white or black). Most small retailers receive relatively small quantities–so my local stores told me, quite honestly, that I could be waiting a very long time for any of the models I wanted to show up at their particular store. (I can’t imagine why they chose this particular product launch to double the SKU count by adding white–adding even more confusion for smaller retailers and for consumers.)
Without driving myself crazy, I stopped by every Apple Store, Target and Best Buy within reasonable walking or driving distance– usually on the way home from appointments.
And, sure enough, I found TEN iPads today, locked in a cage at my nearby Best Buy store. At first, the salesperson told me that they were all Verizon models, but he actually found me in the store to tell me that he had made a mistake, that they were, in fact, all AT&T models, all 64GB models, all black. If I had wanted any of the 17 other available options, I would have left the store unhappy.
Very strange. Perhaps we’ll all learn more about the strategy soon. Right now, it seems just plain goofy.
Digital Insider 
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