Cupertino, Calif. – Apple called the
launch of the new iPad its “strongest iPad launch yet,” but the company was
making an apples-to-oranges comparison.
Apple said it sold 3 million new
iPads to consumers in the three days since its launch on Friday, March16, but
during those three days, the new iPad was available in the U.S. and 10 other
countries, plus Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For last year’s iPad 2 launch, in contrast,
the tablet was on sale only in the U.S. for its first two weeks of availability
followed by a broader rollout to 26 more countries on March 25, 2011.
“The new iPad is a blockbuster
with 3 million sold — the strongest iPad launch yet,” said Philip Schiller,
Apple’s worldwide marketing senior VP. “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.”
On Friday, the new iPad will be
available in 24 more countries starting at 8:00 a.m. local time on Friday,
March 23.
