Apple Inc. fans endured some lengthy lines to buy the iPad Mini when it went on sale Friday. But the scenes were calmer than for other recent Apple launches, raising the question of whether the new device can be a blockbuster product for the holidays.

Demand was strong in storm-ravaged New York, where hundreds still gathered outside Apple's flagship Fifth Avenue store. But the initial crowd of 580 fell below the 750 that greeted the launch of the last version of the iPad this March, according to counts from Piper Jaffray.

Elsewhere in the U.S., lines were also shorter than recent launches. In Apple's backyard of San Francisco, lines at a downtown store were half to less than a third of the size they have been for other Apple gadgets.

On his way to work, engineer Mike Boyer, 55 years old, noticed the line was less than a block long, so he jumped in. "I was planning to stop by during lunch," he said.

The iPad Mini, which measures 7.9 inches diagonally, is a test of whether Apple can shore up the lower end of the tablet market with a pricier product than rivals. The iPad Mini starts at $329, while rival products such as Google Inc.'s Nexus 7 and Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle Fire start at $199 respectively. Those devices have a slightly smaller 7-inch screen.