Apple announced today that they sold over 300,000 iPads on Saturday's launch day. They also sold a quarter million iBooks and over 1 million apps.
Steve Jobs commented on the iPad's launch, "it feels great to have the iPad launched into the world -- it's going to be a game changer; iPad users, on average, downloaded more than three apps and close to one book within hours of unpacking their new iPad."
Fewer iPads sold than expected
According to the Wall Street Journal, an analyst from Piper Jaffray expected nearly 700,000 units to be sold, while another pundit from iSuppli Corp speculated that over seven million of the new tablet devices were to be moved by year's end.
It's too early to tell if these numbers are disappointing to Apple itself, as no one outside of the secretive company has any real idea what their internal sales projections were for the opening weekend.
3G-enabled iPad released later this month
It's true that many potential iPad customers are waiting until later this month when the 3G models of the iPad see their release. These units are bundled with monthly data plans from AT&T, although rumors are rampant that Apple will begin to support other carriers later this year with a new line of their mobile devices.
It will take until later this year, once other tablet devices, including HP's Slate, are introduced to get a better feel for the ultimate success of the iPad. One big revenue source for Apple are the licensing fees earned at their App Store, as well as the new iBookstore.
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