He who hesitates

Apple opened its doors for iPad pre-orders in the UK on Monday, promising shipment by May 28th. Fool that I am, I deliberated, cogitated and digested, confirming in my own mind that I really did need - okay, really, really want - one, and then mulling over Heather's offer to defer purchase until my 40th birthday in September. (I did give that some consideration. Really I did. I even went so far as to agree to wait, although I must admit I was 95% certain she wouldn't take me up on it.)

Anyhow, I finally got round to placing my order this afternoon - the 32GB Wi-fi only model, in case you were interested - only to discover that, yet again, demand is far outstripping Apple's ability to manufacture and distribute the hardware. As a result of dithering for 48 hours, I now find that Apple have shifted shipping dates on new orders back ten days to June 7th. That's 26 - count them, 26 - days of waiting.

It's like the bad old days of the 70s/80s, when mail order companies would routinely advise you to "please allow 28 days for delivery".

What's the old saying about "he who hesitates is lost"? Or, at least, majorly incovenienced? Idiot, idiot, idiot. Why didn't I place the order first thing on Monday morning?

Yes, I know I'm being pathetic and childish. I know it's only another ten days, when I knew I was committed to waiting over two weeks anyway. But the whole point of being an early adopter and accepting that you will be paying a premium - for the initial version of a gadget which will be superseded within months with a vastly improved model anyway - is that you're, well, early. It's like paying for front row tickets on opening night and then arriving half an hour late and sitting ten rows back.

Now if you don't mind, I'm just going to sneak off to a quiet corner and throw a toddler tantrum Zac would be proud of.