Apple sold 300,000 iPads on Saturday, as the highly-anticipated tablet device went on sale across the US.
The number includes pre-sold iPads, which were sent to customers who had already ordered and paid for them. Sales outstripped the iPhone on its first day in 2007, which sold 270,000 units.
“iPad users, on average, downloaded more than three apps and close to one book within hours of unpacking their new iPad,” CEO Steve Jobs said in a statement.
The initial version of the iPad, priced at $499 (€370) with a 16GB disk, is Wi-Fi capable only. A 3G version will go on sale later this month.
Despite the pre-orders, the launch attracted the huge queues and in-store crowds seen in the iPhone debuts.
The event was intensively covered by US mainstream and tech media.
Ifixit.com provided a teardown analysis before the device was released, based on photos published by the FCC.
In a review, tech website CNET praised the iPad for consolidating multiple functions into a single unit, but said it was limited as a jack-of-all-trades. “The iPad's limited multitasking capabilities and lack of integrated video camera, Flash support, and HD video output already have us pining for next year's model.”
Market research firm iSuppli predicted Apple would sell 7.1 million iPads this year and 20 million in 2012.
Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, Craig Newmark of Craigslist and other luminaries gave mostly upbeat forecasts on the iPad’s future.
The iPad app store already has its first fake, Tech Crunch reported - an imitation Facebook app which was downloaded heavily in the first 48 hours. It has now been removed from the store.