back to article New iPad sales hit 3 million in first 4 days

The glow-screened 3.1million pixel iPad has been flying off shelves even faster than either of the two previous iPads on its opening weekend. Apple has announced sales of 3 million new iPads in the four days since the tablet's launch in 12 countries on 16 March. It took the first iPad seven weeks to reach sales of 1 million. …

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  1. This post has been deleted by its author

    1. slhilly

      Re: How is this measured?

      Are you being intentionally thick? This is an Apple press release. How do you think these numbers are measured?? Of course they come from Apple.

      Do you have any evidence -- or even a link to a story -- to show that Apple has ever reported initial stats that were higher than reality?

      1. Bear Features

        Re: How is this measured?

        Now we have to ask if you're being "thick"? Do you know what marketing even is? You think it's just a tv advert or a billboard poster? ;)

        So you just believe everything Apple, or any other company tell you because you have no "link" or "evidence" that says otherwise then? They saw you coming ;)

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: How is this measured?

          Where's your link that says other wise?

          Whatever the amount they've sold, it'll still be more than every other tablet maker has sold in the last year

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: How is this measured?

          @Bear Features: "So you just believe everything Apple, or any other company tell you because you have no "link" or "evidence" that says otherwise then?"

          There is ample evidence from Apple's record to date. If you care to look at the graphed sales of all its products and Apple's accounts, the information is absolutely consistent. Moreover, the figures conform with Apple's iPad sales to date and projected sales for the year. By way of comparison, the iPhone 4s sold about 4 million on the opening weekend. If Apple was in the habit of over-inflating sales figures, why didn't they do it when the iPad was first launched? It took 28 days to sell the first million units.

          Frankly, it isn't good enough to hurl accusations about when you don't have a scrap of evidence to back them up - it's nothing more than slander.

        3. StooMonster

          Re: How is this measured?

          Apple are a publicly quoted company therefore have many laws to comply with in regards to publishing data such as this.

          If they said they'd sold 3-million and they hadn't the shareholders could sue the management and the SEC would want to put them in jail.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: How is this measured?

            Yes they have to comply with the law, AT THE END OF THE YEAR REPORTS.

            This is unofficial launch news, and it's only aim is to fuel the hype to enable them to meet the forecasts. As long as they don't make any claims that are too wild, and sales they get from this increased hype will mean that the self fulfilling prophecy is indeed met.

            I know this is about Apple, but the same applies. Why do you think Microsoft sold 8m Kinects at launch and only 10m 10months later when the books were officially checked?

          2. Anonymous Coward
            Stop

            Re: How is this measured?

            Clearly you have never heard of channel stuffing.

            Many big American companies are constantly doing it to make impressive sounding press releases that further drive the hype machine.

            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_stuffing

            1. ThomH

              Re: How is this measured?

              Clearly you people have never heard of motion pictures. Clearly the moon landing was fake.

            2. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: How is this measured?

              So which is it? You can't say in one breathe that Apple are creating a false shortage to make it look like the iPad is popular, then claim they're channel stuffing to inflate sales figures.

              Make a choice Barry

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: How is this measured?

                Clearly you don't create real shortages (otherwise you won't be able to sell anything), you only need the illusion of shortages to make idiots think it's some kind of measure of desirability.

        4. slhilly

          Re: How is this measured?

          I'd wager from your answer that I know a bit more about what marketing is than you do. Marketing is not "lying to the public by overinflating your sales figures in a way that will be readily spotted and land you in terrible trouble and is completely pointless because you already make cash and profits at truly epic rates and so there is no value greater than the cost in behaving this way".

          Marketing is understanding what your customers will really value and then ensuring they are clear about how you are delivering against that. If you want a technical definition, here's one with some input from an HBS marketing prof, too:

          "Marketing is the management process through which goods and services move from concept to the customer. As a practice, it consists in coordination of four elements called 4P's: (1) identification, selection, and development of a product, (2) determination of its price, (3) selection of a distribution channel to reach the customer's place, and (4) development and implementation of a promotional strategy.

          As a philosophy, marketing is based on thinking about the business in terms of customer needs and their satisfaction. Marketing differs from selling because (in the words of Harvard Business School's emeritus professor of marketing Theodore C. Levitt) "Selling concerns itself with the tricks and techniques of getting people to exchange their cash for your product. It is not concerned with the values that the exchange is all about. And it does not, as marketing invariably does, view the entire business process as consisting of a tightly integrated effort to discover, create, arouse, and satisfy customer needs."

    2. Paul Bruneau

      Re: How is this measured?

      It's measured like this: Apple doesn't pull that crap. Apple sells units. Apple sell out of all stock. Apple devices go on backorder, and Apple devices keep selling. I know you are all cynical from the tricks that Samsung, HTC and the clones all use, but Apple doesn't do that. Get used to it.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Who was it who said no one was buying them?

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: How is this measured?

      Even if Apple are lying, it can't be a big lie: if the lie is a three-fold 'over-statement' or 'mis-statement', then sales for this incarnation are still about an order of magnitude faster, in the post-launch period, than was the case the first go-around. Even if it is a lie of that order, then Apple are probably still deserving of a little end-zone theatricality on this occasion.

      And maybe what pushes the sales isn't hype. Maybe the iPad is a good product with evident value for people who buy it. Possssible.

      (To head off the knee-jerks: I've never purchased anything from Apple. Not that I wouldn't--just that I haven't. Most of my Applia is dumpster/tip-derived.)

  2. Hywel Thomas

    Real numbers

    More than likely they're real sales numbers rather than stuffed channel numbers. Per-orders and figures from Apple's own shops. Apple don't play the same way as others.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      why would they lie

      Mine ordered on 14 March, delivery 5 April.

      I'm having to wait for them to build it so they must have sold a few.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        FAIL

        Re: why would they lie

        They must have sold a few because you have to wait for yours...

        Did the Nintendo Wii games not teach you ANYTHING?????

  3. Winkypop Silver badge
    Unhappy

    I've got to wait for my shiny new i3pad thing

    And I don't like it one bit!

    1. Armando 123
      Trollface

      Re: I've got to wait for my shiny new i3pad thing

      You can send it here, I'll make sure it goes to tornado victims. Eventually.

      1. John Molloy

        Re: I've got to wait for my shiny new i3pad thing

        I fear you misread his post. He hates that he hasn't got it yet, not that he hates the device.

  4. Matt_payne666

    Love them, or hate them, you cant help but be impressed at the way Apple can generate hype, keep customers and shift stock...

    Much like facebook, they just manage to keep the hype and momentum going, I keep waiting for the bubble to burst, but it doesnt look like doing that anytime soon...

    note, im no fanboi, just someone that is in awe of the ability of a company to extract non-trivial sums of money from millions of customers in this sort of economy.

    1. Paul Bruneau

      Hype & momentum

      You might also just be a bit impressed that they make great products and ship them...

  5. Chris D Rogers
    WTF?

    I want a used one!

    Well,

    The numbers are impressive, hopefully come November some of these initial fondleslabs will be on the used market - in which case I'll buy one.

    I think the only thing I'll ever buy new from Apple is a low end iMac.

    Here's to jailbreaking!!!!!!

  6. LPF
    Thumb Up

    Love them or hate em..

    THey produce the best design tablet, back it up with superb software and sell the suckers faster than they can make em.

    Apples figures are usual bang on becuase they sell some , and to use it you have to connect to itunes which registers the new device so pretty accurate.

    and dude you don't get 100bn in cash by faking figures , that way leads to joliet in the states!

    They kick ass and dont even need to bother taking names!

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    No denying

    There's no denying judging from these figures that this is a hot product

    5 degrees hotter actually. Now rest it on your ballsack think of St. Steve and enjoy the warm fuzzy glow

    1. Gazareth

      Re: No denying

      If you're doing that, you're holding it wrong.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      no problem

      With the cost of heating going up my new iPad will help me save on my heating bills, fantastic byproduct.

  8. toadwarrior

    MS and other companies can easily fudge their numbers because they generally don't sel directly. Where as most of Apple's sales probably are directly to consumers. So it's going to be harder to fudge numbers anyway by giving numbers sold to shops rather than consumers.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Correction

    Customers are loving the incredible new features of iPad, including the stunning Retina display

    Customers are loving the incredible new feature of iPad, which is the stunning Retina display

    There fixed it.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Correction

      They're probably enjoying double the amount of RAM and improved GPU as well.

      Where's the iPad killer? There isn't one

      1. Paul Bruneau

        Re: Correction

        To be fair, one could argue that the increased RAM and GPU is only there to support the admittedly massive requirements of the display.

        But I bet they are enjoying the 4g too

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Correction

        So you class a minor, expected upgrade as a new feature do you?

        1. Paul Bruneau

          Re: Correction

          You could call it "minor" if any other tablet had it or anything like it with that battery life. But you can't. So don't.

      3. VinceH
        Trollface

        Re: Correction

        "Where's the iPad killer?"

        I have a good, solid sledge hammer here, if you have an iPad that needs to be killed.

        I'll even waive my usual fee.

      4. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Correction

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4L3sOweGk30

        One iPad killer, as requested.

  10. BoxedSet

    Hmm, so they don't sell them to Tesco et al, who then make a faux pais over the pricing? I think most people realise that pre-sales and pre-orders bloat the real sales figures... all those apart from those fawning over these over-hyped slabs of fruity tech!

    Apple sell to consumers, the common clay of the land, you know... morons!

    1. introiboad

      Yeah, thanks very much for calling my uncles, brother and other non-tech savvy people in my family and millions of other geeks' families morons.

      I rather think of them as "electronically challenged" but otherwise great people that enjoy their iPads very much.

  11. BoxedSet
    Holmes

    No problem, any time. Great people I'm sure they are but the reason you bought the fruity fondleslab in the first place just proves the point. "electronically challenged", how about "technology challenged"? Let them loose on anything more complicated than a simple device and you will soon be changing your tune!

    1. John Molloy

      The issue here is that smug, technically-obsessed posters don't understand why this thing is selling. It is always on, it is intuitive, and you do not have to pass some kind of geek IQ test to make it do things. At last there is a product that lets real people do stuff without having to resort to tech savvy relatives or worse, pay people, to get things done.

      The barbarians are at the gates. The cabal is falling.

      1. Steve Ives

        None of the people I know who own iPads...

        including me and my wife, consider it rubbish becasue "you, know, it needs more cores plus you need to be able to ssh into it over a vnc connection."

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          title

          "..plus you need to be able to ssh into it over a vnc connection..."

          But the thing is, you could if you wanted to.

          What the "it's got to be painful or it's not real computing " Linuxtards refuse to get is that Apple has cleverly designed products that will hold your hand for you if you're not a geek [which is why my 70+ year old mum can write, surf the web, send email and do video ichatting on her macbook, without needing an instruction manual]...

          and will also allow you to do all that *nix stuff, if you are a geek [which is why I was able to remotely edit a couple of config files and reboot my Linode VPS from a tent in the middle of nowhere in Ireland last summer on my jailbroken iPhone]

          The only practical difference between OSX and Linux is that the OSX GUI was designed by people with an ounce of design knowledge, whereas most Linuxes I've used look like the GUI was assembled from the leftover bins at Microsoft's clipart warehouse.

  12. Lallabalalla
    FAIL

    In other news

    Windows 8 tablet freezes in Microsoft keynote demo

    1. Lallabalalla
      FAIL

      No no Mr. thumbs-down...

      it actually did, whether you like it or not!

  13. Gil Grissum
    Pint

    Love em or not, they sell and people buy them. I didn't wait for the new iPad. I got the iPad 2 for the price drop and I'm fine with that. Apple doesn't have to fake sales numbers. They're sitting on 100 billion in cash and their stock price is $595.75 right now. That's called SUCCESS, something the Android Tablet makers aren't achieving.

  14. andreas koch
    Unhappy

    Excellent Sales

    As always, since the first iPhone, Apple's product sells enormously well. I think everyone expects this now; or should, at least. With the admirable sales strategy that Apple uses, there's also no sign of market saturation. They provide a well built unit and all the necessary service that goes with it.

    I would really, really love to have a reason to buy one.

  15. Gil Grissum
    Pint

    On the plus side, you can get yourself a Moto Xoom quite easily since there are no lines to buy it and there are plenty left and available since hardly anyone wants one. more bada-boom tech geekery on board and you can brag to your friends about that while they show you their hi-rez screen iPads. LOL!!!

  16. andreas koch
    Coat

    @ Gil

    I don't have a reason to buy a Xoom either. I don't have any need for a tablet, like most people. The only difference being that some people have to have one because it's trendy or fashionable (this applies to the iPad, not the Xoom; who knows what a Xoom is, who would recognise me as a sophisticated [in the modern, current sense] member of the electronically savvy elite if I'd show off one?) and you have to beat the Joneses; both justifications don't apply to me.

    I'd wager that about 97% of all buyers of portable high power ICT gear (netbooks, smartphones, tablets) don't need it and really have to dig to find problems (that they didn't have before) that the new toy can solve.

    A not insubstantial percentage of the things probably spend most of the time processing avian trajectories towards structures populated by sus domesticus.

  17. Tony Paulazzo
    Happy

    >I would really, really love to have a reason to buy one.<

    Just look at it and pretend you're captain Picard, you can even download an lcars app to make it look more Star Trekky - totally brilliant! You don't even need another reason to own one, 500 quid is worth that feeling alone.

    Really happy, geeky, Android phone owning, PC engineer who loves his 'The New iPad'.

    1. andreas koch
      Pint

      Well, you win there. That's one of the reasons that would come under the 3%. Somehow Trekkie-orientated and not really a business necessity, but a reason nonetheless.

      Why can't all the Apple fans be as honest as you and just say that they had to have one to satisfy a personal urge instead of making up some far-fetched, apparently reasonable rationale?

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