The crowd outside the Apple store in Georgetown at 7:40 a.m. Photo by @MichelleFields

With the iPad 3 having gone on sale today at 8:30 a.m., tech geeks from around the region started lining up outside the Georgetown Apple store in the early morning hours to get first crack at the increased processor speeds and new Retina display on the updated tablet.

But unlike in years past, this time they were joined by protesters demanding better treatment for workers in the Chinese factories that pump out the very Apple gadgets we do dutifully depend on. The protest, organized by Change.org, was part of a campaign to ask Apple to create an “ethical iPad.”

In January, The New York Times highlighted the difficult work conditions faced by the Chinese laborers that put together the iPad; complaints of forced overtime, crowded living conditions and underage workers have dogged the California-based company since the articles were published.

A similar protest asking for an “ethical iPhone” took place at the Georgetown store in February.