3G appeal pushes total iPad sales beyond one million

by Stevie Smith - May 3 2010, 09:37

Arriving hot on the heels of the well-received Wi-Fi iPad, the speedy 3G model has re-ignited consumer interest in Apple’s swanky tablet computer. More specifically, initial sales estimates for the 3G iPad suggest Apple shifted around 300,000 units during the device’s opening weekend of availability.

Officially flying off store shelves as of Friday, April 30, prices for the cellular 3G iPad start at $629 USD, which secures buyers a fairly modest 16GBs of data storage to complement the advantages of high-speed connectivity.   

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, several Apple Stores located throughout the United States had sold their stock allocations by Sunday, while a spokesperson for retail giant Best Buy said the chain had been reduced to extremely limited inventory by as early as Friday evening.

Adding his projections, Piper Jaffrey analyst Gene Munster said the estimated 300,000 unit sales attributed to the 3G iPad mirror the Wi-Fi model’s opening weekend. Beyond being a clear indication of Apple’s enduring brand power, Munster claims sales of the 3G iPad have now pushed total iPad sales well past the million mark.  

In related news, while Apple is pushing onward, rival tablet makers appear to be either rethinking or abandoning their market strategies. Specifically, Microsoft has officially canned its prototype Courier tablet and Hewlett-Packard is rumoured to be dumping both Windows 7 and the Intel Atom processor from its Slate device.

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