New iPad sells 3 million during launch weekend

Apple has revealed record sales numbers for the new iPad launch.

The latest in the tech giant’s line of tablets has sold 3 million units since launching last Friday, March 16th. Apple released the new device across 10 countries simultaneously.

"The new iPad is a blockbuster with three million sold?the strongest iPad launch yet," stated Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing Philip Schiller. "Customers are loving the incredible new features of iPad, including the stunning Retina display, and we can’t wait to get it into the hands of even more customers around the world this Friday."

The original iPad took 28 days to reach 1m sold, and the iPad 2 hit the 1m mark right after its own launch weekend.

One analyst projects the new iPad will ship nearly 66m units in 2012 alone.