Apple Inc, trying to revive demand for tablet-style computers with its iPad, said it sold more than 300,000 of the devices on the first day of their debut weekend.
The number includes preorders, sales at Apple stores and deliveries to channel partners, the company said in a statement today. Users downloaded more than 1 million iPad applications from Apple’s site and bought more than 250,000 electronic books from its online store during the first day.
The product builds on the success of Apple’s iPhone and iPod, staking out the middle ground between smartphones and laptop computers. Apple is betting the design is enticing enough that consumers are willing to pay a premium over low-cost notebooks. Rivals such as Microsoft Corp have failed to turn tablet computers into popular consumer devices.
“It’s going to be a game changer,” Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs said in the statement. “iPad users, on average, downloaded more than three apps and close to one book within hours of unpacking their new iPad.”
Apple rose 23 cents to $236.20 in trading before US exchanges opened. The stock, which has more than doubled in the past year, closed at a record $235.97 April 1 in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. US markets were closed April 2 for the Good Friday holiday.
The iPad sales may have fallen short of some analysts’ estimates. Sanford C Bernstein & Co’s Toni Sacconaghi had projected sales of 300,000 to 400,000 for the first weekend. Piper Jaffray & Co’s Gene Munster projected initial sales of at least 600,000 units, after boosting his forecast from as many as 300,000 over the weekend.
As of March 30, Munster was one of the few analysts with a projection for iPad sales. Rivals had said they didn’t have a good sense of how consumers would respond to the iPad, an untested category of computer.
The device, which starts at $499, went on sale April 3, drawing crowds to stores across the US and rivaling the frenzy seen when the iPhone was introduced in 2007. Lines at five stores surveyed by Piper Jaffray were longer than expected, yet Apple had iPads available late in the opening day, signaling the company was able to produce enough devices to fulfill initial demand, Munster said in an interview yesterday.