Get to an Apple store early, stand in line, pray. The iPad 2 isn’t your average impulse buy, yet I’m sure many people make an instant decision to get one. And when they do, they want it right now.Well, good luck.I can see you’re the same type of person as me. No way you would have stood in line for 11 hours on the iPad 2’s opening day, or ordered online in the wee morning hours before stock ran out and delivery times got pushed back weeks.After standing in line for 11 hours, first iPad 2 customers wait anxiously moments before the doors open on Friday at 5 p.m. at the Walnut Creek, Calif., Apple Store.You just figured you’d wait a couple of weeks, stroll into an Apple Store, and walk out with a shiny, new iPad 2. After all, you read recently that Radio Shack will be carrying the iPad 2. How bad can demand be if Apple is opening up distribution to another major retail chain? Besides, the iPad 2 isn’t even a big improvement over the original iPad. Lighter and thinner is better, of course, but front and rear-facing cameras? I’m not going to hold up my iPad to take a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge. I’d look like an idiot tourist. And, really, how often will you use FaceTime video chat? As an executive and his teenage daughter told me, “It’s kinda creepy.” I don’t even like to stare at people when I’m having a face-to-face conversation. (Hmm, maybe that’s why I’m lousy at Texas Hold ‘Em—too many tells.) While Apple fans rushed to get the iPad 2, you just assumed the fervor would die down. Isn’t all this launch hoopla simply brilliant marketing aimed at a few hyper-vocal geeks? Heck, there wasn’t even a line at most Apple stores for the debut of the Verizon iPhone 4.More than two weeks have passed since the iPad 2 hit Apple stores, and lines are still forming. Only this time there is no guarantee you’ll get one even if you try. You’ll have to put in your time at the mere chance of scoring an iPad 2. Here’s how it plays out at one Apple store.1. The Apple Store in Walnut Creek, Calif., a shopping mecca 30 miles east of San Francisco, opens at 10 a.m. on weekdays—or does it? If the Apple store receives a shipment of iPads in the morning, it will open at 9 a.m. Don’t bother calling ahead of time because Apple store employees won’t know about iPad shipments until they come to work.2. This means you’ll have to get in line before 9 a.m. on the hope that the store has received a shipment of iPad models that you want. Even if the stars align and a shipment has made its way to the store, you’ll have to be close to the front of the line to be issued a claim ticket to get your iPad 2. An Apple store employee told me that the number of units in a shipment varies greatly.3. If you’re unlucky, there’s always tomorrow morning.Tom Kaneshige covers Apple and Networking for CIO.com. Follow Tom on Twitter @kaneshige. Follow everything from CIO.com on Twitter @CIOonline and on Facebook. Email Tom at tkanshige@cio.com Related content opinion Google Bigwig Eric Schmidt Posts Bizarre Guide for 'Converting to Android from iPhone' Google's Executive Chairman wants you to switch from iPhone to Android, and he posted a strange guide to help make the transition as smooth as possible. By Al Sacco Dec 09, 2013 2 mins Smartphones Android Operating Systems opinion Apple's 'Spaceship' Campus Evokes Jobs-Era Perfectionism Some facts have emerged about Apple's planned "spaceship" campus. Delayed and over-budget but painstakingly detailed, it's already part of Apple history, and makes CIO.com's Tom Kaneshige nostalgic for Steve Jobs' maniac By Tom Kaneshige Apr 05, 2013 3 mins Financial Services Industry Innovation IT Leadership opinion Apple, Where Art Thou? Apple is under siege and uncharacteristically running for cover amidst mounting competition and research reports favoring Android. By Tom Kaneshige Mar 12, 2013 2 mins Smartphones Tablets IT Leadership opinion Is Computer's Future a Glass House? According to Google and Corning, glass surfaces and eyeglasses are where we'll do our computing in the future. By Tom Kaneshige Mar 06, 2013 1 min Small and Medium Business Innovation Mobile Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe