iPad Air Release Date: Tech Fans Worldwide Line Up for Latest Model (PHOTOS/VIDEO)

Nov 01, 2013 04:48 PM EDT | Jordan Ecarma

The iPad Air launched in 42 countries on Friday as technology enthusiasts lined up to get the latest Apple product.

People in countries around the world filmed themselves waiting in line for the new iPad Air, CNN reported.

From Sydney to Tokyo to Amsterdam, technology fans eager to try the latest Apple product waited in line and then uploaded the footage to YouTube. The video of the New York City line shows customers walking through a group of cheering Apple employees.

The company is staking a lot on its newest products since Apple has lost market shares to tablet competitors, USA TODAY reported. Apple's iPad has faced competition from Amazon's Kindle Fire, Barnes & Noble's Nook Tablet and Google's Nexus.

Weighing just one pound, the new iPad Air is 20 percent thinner than its predecessor. The 9.7-inch device has the faster A7 processing chip as well as the M7 coprocessor. The latest model also boasts a 24 percent reduction in volume and is lighter and more efficient than the fourth-generation iPad, according to the Apple website.

In the third quarter of the year, Apple had a 29.6 percent market share for global tablet shipments, a figure that was down from more than 40 percent last year, according to research firm IDC.

In contrast, electronics rival Samsung grew over the past year, reporting a share growth from 12 percent to 20 percent in the third quarter.

With the newest generation of iPads, Apple hopes to top its sale of 3 million iPads last year. The company plans to debut a new iPad Mini with Retina display later this month.

The iPad Air should be available for shipping Monday in both silver and space gray models, according to the Apple website.

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