iPad hits US, 300K sold, 1m Apps downloaded

The iPad sold over 300,000 in its first day on sale in the US, according to Apple.

iPad launched on April 3rd to the customary hype – people queued outside Apple’s retail stores for hours beforehand, hundreds of developers launched download apps for the device, and the media spent the Easter weekend mulling over whether or not the device would have as much impact as the iPhone before it.

Apple certainly thinks the release is a momentous event – even if that 300K sales figure comes in beneath analysts’ projections of over half a million sold.

“It feels great to have the iPad launched into the world—it’s going to be a game changer,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, in a statement.

“iPad users, on average, downloaded more than three apps and close to one book within hours of unpacking their new iPad.”

He’s not wrong about the speed with which iPad owners have consumed media – iTunes saw over a million apps downloaded for the large-scale touchscreen, and 250,000 ebook sales through the iBookstore.

While it’s a US-only product for now, current rumours suggest the device may be launching as soon as April 24th in the UK.