( CNN ) -- The latest version of Apple 's iPad , the genre-defining tablet computer that has outperformed virtually everyone 's expectations since first released in 2010 , went on sale Friday at 8 a.m. local time . At Apple 's flagship retail store on Manhattan 's Fifth Avenue , lines snaked around an entire city block as the doors swung open . `` I bought [ an iPad 2 ] for my husband two weeks ago , and then Apple surprised me by announcing the new one , '' Dezi Swing of Manhattan told CNNMoney . `` The new iPad has better resolution , so I think he 'll like that . I 'm going to try to trade in the old one . '' First-day buyers were n't the only ones excited about the tablet 's display and other features . Critics who got an early look at the new gadget were similarly impressed . `` Since it launched in 2010 , the iPad has been the best tablet on the planet , '' wrote Walt Mossberg for All Things D. `` With the new , third-generation model , it still holds that crown . '' The new 9.7-inch display screen features a `` retina display '' of 2047 by 1536 pixels , compared with the iPad 2 's 1024 by 768 pixels . It will have a a 5-megapixel camera , representing a significant leap from the current iPad 's lens . The new version is available in the United States on AT & T and Verizon networks and will be the first iPad to connect to 4G networks . In addition to Apple retail stores , it will be on sale at Best Buy , Radio Shack , Sam 's Club , Target and Walmart . It also went on sale Friday in Australia , Canada , France , Germany , Hong Kong , Japan , Puerto Rico , Singapore , Switzerland , the United Kingdom and the U.S. Virgin Islands . Apple diehards in Asia were among the first to sample the new product . In Tokyo , about 400 people lined up at an Apple store , where the first wave of buyers were raving about the `` beautiful '' high definition screen . `` There is some criticism that this [ new iPad ] is n't enough of a leap , '' CNN 's Kyung Lah reported from the store . `` But for the people who stayed out here overnight , the real devotees , they say it 's enough of a revolution for them to brave the cold weather to be among the first in the world to get the new iPad . '' It will cost the same as the iPad 2 -- from $ 499 to $ 829 based on storage capacity and Wi-Fi capability . Apple also will be slashing the prices of the iPad 2 by $ 100 , making a 16GB Wi-Fi only model $ 399 and putting it closer to the price point of some less expensive tablets , such as Amazon 's Kindle Fire , that have hit the market in the past year . Camping outside Apple stores for the latest products has become something of a tradition , and Thursday was no different . Apple 's No . 1 fan , co-founder Steve Wozniak , has made a habit of joining the throngs . In October , he was first in line at his local Apple store in Los Gatos , California , to get an iPhone 4S , and he lined up at a store in Los Angeles where he was giving a speech , at about 2 p.m. Thursday for Friday 's rollout . `` Oddly enough to say , I did n't get the high memory iPad in the past , and I ca n't put on a bunch of movies like I want to , '' he said . `` So I 've got a good reason to upgrade now . '' Wait in line for an iPad ? Some readers baffled . In Mossberg 's review , he said the new tablet 's display is visibly crisper than the iPad 2 's . `` My epiphany came when I placed my iPad 2 next to the new model , with the same text on the screen , '' he wrote . `` Letters and words that had seemed sharp on the older model five minutes earlier suddenly looked fuzzier . '' That was a selling point for photographers Heather Waraksa and Jonathan Mehring , who arrived at Apple 's new Grand Central store in New York and , as such , found themselves leaning against a wall , eating bagels in line a half hour later . Neither has ever owned an iPad before . `` I had a meeting last week where I showed my [ photo ] portfolio on my laptop , and the guy was like , 'You should really get an iPad , ' '' Mehring said . `` It looks much better , and a laptop is cumbersome anyway . '' Not everyone outside the stores was focusing on the new tablet 's features . Protesters from Change.org were also in attendance at the flagship store , with a large banner . The organization said it has received petitions from 250,000 people asking Apple to improve its working conditions for factory employees in China.. `` Apple has been a little forthcoming since we first delivered the petitions at Grand Central , but we want them to do better than that , '' said Shelby Knox , senior organizer for the group . The New York Times ' David Pogue said the new iPad is n't a revelation , just a solid revamp of the current model . `` Really , the new iPad should have been called the iPad 2S . In the past , Apple added the letter S to iPhone models that were n't exactly new but had been tastefully enhanced ( iPhone 3GS , iPhone 4S ) , '' Pogue wrote . `` That 's exactly what 's going on with the new iPad . Its technical improvements keep it at the forefront of desirability -- just ahead of the snapping jaws of its Android competition -- but do n't take it in any new directions . '' David Goldman and Julianne Pepitone of CNNMoney contributed to this report .
New tablet goes on sale Friday . Apple 's new tablet has high - definition screen , better camera . Reviews say the new one is a step up , but no major overhaul . Apple co - founder Steve was among the first buyers in California .