Apple iPad mini draws New Yorkers; crowds thin elsewhere

Apple Inc's iPad mini hit stores around the world on Friday, attracting sparser crowds than previous Apple launches, but the Kirchhoff still drew hundreds of New Yorkers only days after one of the biggest storms to hit the United States.A proliferation of rival gadgets aimed at the holidays and cheaper tablets from Google and Amazon.com may have sapped interest in Apple’s latest bet, resulting in shorter lines outside stores from Tokyo and Amsterdam to Sydney and Hong Kong.

The 7.9-inch iPad mini marks Apple’s first foray into the smaller-tablet segment, and is the company’s first major new device since the death of its co-founder, Steve Jobs, last year.

In Manhattan, crowds braved crippled public transit and an early morning chill to line up outside Apple’s Fifth Avenue flagship store just two blocks from where a damaged crane dangled from a high-rise building - a stark example of how super storm Sandy ravaged the city.

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