Apple (NASDAQ:
AAPL
) has announced that it has sold three million new iPads
worldwide this weekend, combining sales of both the
fourth-generation model and the iPad Mini. The Cupertino,
California-based tech giant did not break down the sales figures
by region or by model. Instead, Apple simply noted that the Wi-Fi
versions are currently available in 34 different countries,
including the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Australia,
Germany, Canada, France, South Korea and Hong Kong. Both tablets
are expected to ship in other nations before the end of the year,
including mainland China.
"Customers around the world love the new iPad mini and
fourth-generation iPad," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a
company release
. "We set a new launch weekend record and practically sold out of
iPad Minis. We're working hard to build more quickly to meet the
incredible demand."
Apple's announcement comes after a Monday morning
report
released by Topeka Capital, which found that the iPad Mini was
sold out at most Apple Stores.
Without any specific sales per region, it is hard to determine
how the product is performing. On Friday morning, one Metro
Detroit Apple Store
had just 15 people
waiting in line. There were roughly
10 times as many people
waiting for the iPhone 5 in September. But that device did not
sell 10 times as many units. By the end of its first weekend,
Apple had sold
five million new iPhones
, beating the previous record set by the iPhone 4S. Analysts and
investors expected Apple to sell more, and were disappointed by
this result.
Even if the new iPads are sold out in America, it is still
possible that the majority of Apple's profits are coming from
global sales. In the past, new iDevices were not readily
available worldwide. Now Apple is working hard to make sure that
its products launch simultaneously in as many locations as
possible.
The company's global effort does not come without its
challenges, however. Apple is being criticized for paying
less than two percent in taxes
on the billions of dollars it has earned overseas. Google
(NASDAQ:
GOOG
) and Amazon (NASDAQ:
AMZN
), two of Apple's chief competitors, have been criticized for
finding legal loopholes to do the same thing.
While it is not yet known which iPad won the weekend, one
analyst
estimated
that Apple would not be able to ship more than 850,000 units
during the first week of availability. If this prediction is
accurate, it would mean that the fourth-generation iPad sold more
than two million units this weekend.
It also indicates that Apple will win the small tablet market.
Google is reportedly selling
nearly one million Nexus 7 units
per month. Apple has apparently done the same in just three
days.
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@LouisBedigianBZ
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