Apple Announces 3 Million iPad Mini and iPad 4th Gen Sold in Three Days

Apple’s newest members of the iPad line-up, the iPad mini and the updated iPad 4th gen, have managed to sell more than 3 million units in three days since launch.

Usually I’d say that was a pretty good number, but it’s not really that impressive, considering that they combined sales for both the iPad Mini and the new 4th gen iPad, so you dont really know how many of each have sold. Apple’s CEO Tim Cook stated;

“Customers around the world love the new iPad mini and fourth generation iPad. 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.”

The numbers also dont include cellular iPads which wont ship for another few weeks. Still better than the 1.5 Million Wifi 3rd gen iPads sold at it’s launch, I guess? Considering that that the new 4th gen iPad and iPad mini are available to buy in 34 countries though, it really does seem like a somewhat small-ish number for Apple.

Still, I’m thinking a huge part of that number is the iPad Mini, eh? Full Press Release below.

Press Release

Apple Sells Three Million iPads in Three Days Wi-Fi Only Models of New iPad mini & Fourth Generation iPad Double Previous First Weekend Sales

CUPERTINO, California—November 5, 2012—Apple® today announced it has sold three million iPads in just three days since the launch of its new iPad® mini and fourth generation iPad—double the previous first weekend milestone of 1.5 million Wi-Fi only models sold for the third generation iPad in March. The Wi-Fi + Cellular versions of both iPad mini and fourth generation iPad will ship in a few weeks in the US and in many more countries later this year.

“Customers around the world love the new iPad mini and fourth generation iPad,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “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.”

The new iPad mini features a stunning 7.9-inch Multi-Touch™ display, FaceTime® HD and iSight® cameras, ultrafast wireless performance* and an incredible 10 hours of battery life**. The new fourth generation iPad features a gorgeous 9.7-inch Retina™ display, new Apple-designed A6X chip, FaceTime HD camera and ultrafast wireless performance.

Both iPad mini and the new fourth generation iPad with Retina display are available in 34 countries including the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and the UK, and will be available in many more countries later this year, including mainland China. Demand for iPad mini exceeded the initial supply and while many of the pre-orders have been shipped to customers, some are scheduled to be shipped later this month.

Pricing & Availability iPad mini with Wi-Fi comes in either white & silver or black & slate, and is available in the US for a suggested retail price of $329 (US) for the 16GB model, $429 (US) for the 32GB model and $529 (US) for the 64GB model. Fourth generation iPad with Wi-Fi models are available in black or white for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for the 16GB model, $599 (US) for the 32GB model and $699 (US) for the 64GB model. Both iPad mini and fourth generation iPad are available from the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers.

iPad mini with Wi-Fi + Cellular and fourth generation iPad with Wi-Fi + Cellular will be available in the US on AT&T, Sprint and Verizon in a few weeks. iPad mini with Wi-Fi + Cellular will be offered for a suggested retail price of $459 (US) for the 16GB model, $559 (US) for the 32GB model and $659 (US) for the 64GB model. Fourth generation iPad with Wi-Fi + Cellular for AT&T, Sprint and Verizon will be offered for a suggested retail price of $629 (US) for the 16GB model, $729 (US) for the 32GB model and $829 (US) for the 64GB model. Additionally, iPad 2 is available at $399 (US) for the 16GB Wi-Fi model and just $529 (US) for the 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G model where they are sold now.

*LTE is available through select carriers. Network speeds are dependent on carrier networks. Check with your carrier for details. **Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

HP's Windows 8 tablet strategy against Apple

After bombing with the TouchPad, and bowing out of creating a Windows RT tablet to compete against Microsoft's own Surface RT slate, HP has made it clear that its new tablet strategy is not geared toward consumers. But can its strategy to court enterprise customers with Windows 8 tablets be a winner as Apple continues to make inroads with large corporations with the iPad?

In an interview with CRN, John Solomon, HP's senior vice president of Americas sales for printing and personal systems division, claimed that the company has some "unique intellectual property" that it will use with its forthcoming Windows 8 tablets. Unfortunately for the impatient, Solomon declined to elaborate on what the unique IP is, but he did make it clear that HP is interested in pursuing the "under penetrated" commercial tablet market.

Microsoft sees the more robust Windows 8 tablets, including its own Surface Windows 8 Pro, as superior productivity machines for businesses compared to the iPad, which is making inroads among corporations based on its huge commercial success. HP believes its Windows 8 strategy will be unique due in part to its "high degree of channel engagement."

One concrete step toward that engagement is HP's recent decision to give partners 60-day financing terms, which Solomon believes will help those companies' cash flow as they purchase new tablets. Considering that it's competing against the BYOD movement, where employees can make use of the iPads they already own, it's not a bad start to spur adoption.

Without specifics on how an HP Windows 8 tablet experience will be different than any other Windows 8 model, it's hard to say how successful its strategy will fare. We now know it will also have to compete against the business-friendly Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, which includes a stylus and robust encryption and VPN support (though running on Android 4.0).

Ultimately, courting vertical markets requires tailored solutions for their respective needs, and Windows 8 tablets will need to prove attractive for developers to create niche apps to service those markets. But one killer app created for the iPad instead could jeopardize the market for Microsoft's partners. Is touting superior security and "management" features going to be enough for HP to stand out?

What "unique intellectual property" do you think HP has that will allow it to succeed with its Windows 8 tablets? Do you think its enterprise-oriented strategy is the right one? Let us know in the Talkback section below.