New iPad release

Apple shares jumped to over $600 as hype for the new iPad continued to build with it's date Friday, March 16, fast approaching.

Construction manager David Tarasenko (R) purchases the first new iPad from a store in Sydney, moments after midnight, March 16, 2012. Apple Inc's new iPad went on sale in Australia early on Friday, greeted by throngs of fans hungry to get hold of the US consumer giant's latest, 4G-ready tablet computer.

 Customers line up outside an Apple store in Sydney, on March 16. Apple fans in Australia became the first in the world to get their hands on the latest iPad as hundreds of gadget lovers laid siege to the company's flagship Sydney store

 A man looks around Apple's new iPad at the Apple Store Ginza in Tokyo March 16, 2012. Apple's new iPad went on a sale in Japan on Friday and more than 450 people waited on the line to purchase the new device in front of the shop prior to its opening. 

 People sit on a street in front of an Apple store as they wait for the release of the new iPad in Tokyo March 16, 2012. Apple's new iPad uses chips made by Qualcomm , Broadcom, Samsung Electronics and other semiconductor makers, according to repair firm iFixit, which cracked open one of the devices.

 People stand in a line to purchase Apple's new iPad in front of Apple Store Ginza in Tokyo March 16, 2012. Apple's new iPad went on a sale in Japan on Friday and more than 450 people waited on the line to purchase the new device in front of the shop prior to its opening. 

Journalists test the new iPad following a live stream of its US launch, at an event in central London on March 7. Hordes of gadget lovers are expected to lay siege to Apple stores on Friday to get their hands on third-generation iPads when they debut at 8:00 am local time in the United States and nine other countries including Australia and France.

 A worker cleans a new iPad tablet ahead of its release at an Apple store in Tokyo March 16, 2012. 

People sleep on a street in front of an Apple store as to await sales of the new iPad in Tokyo March 16, 2012. 

New iPad tablets are seen in a window display in an Apple store in Sydney March 16, 2012. 

Apple CEO Tim Cook clasp his hands during an new iPad announcement during an Apple event in San Francisco, Wednesday, March 7, 2012. The new iPad features a sharper screen and a faster processor. Apple says the new display will be even sharper than the high-definition television set in the living room.