If there was any doubt that Apple's iPad would gladly welcome all challengers, look no further than this weekend's sales results. Apple announced on Monday that it had sold 3 million of its newest iPads models, launched in the US and Australia on Friday.
Numbers get bandied about a lot, but Apple puts it in perspective: The company previously sold 3 million third-generation iPads when that device launched in March - however, since the LTE-enabled versions of the iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad did not launch on Friday, Apple's taken the unusual step of breaking down past iPad sales.
According to the company, it moved 1.5 million of the Wi-Fi-only third-generation models back in March, which means this past weekend's sales doubled that milestone.
It also reveals that the devices sold over the third-generation iPad's opening weekend were split down the middle in terms of Wi-Fi-only versus cellular-enabled; if that division among customers holds, then Apple can expect to sell an equally hefty number of cellular-enabled models later this month.
The company doesn't break down exactly how many minis and fourth-generation models it sold this past weekend, but it's clear that the new, smaller iPad is in high demand.
In the company's press release, Apple CEO Tim Cook says that the company "practically sold out of iPad minis" and is trying to manufacture more to keep up with demand. Apple also noted that excessive demand for the minis has bumped some pre-order deliveries to later in the month, though many have already been shipped out.
The LTE-enabled versions of the fourth-generation iPad and iPad mini will go on sale later this month, and the new models will also expand to more countries before the end of the year.
