Apple Sells 3 Million iPads in 80 Days

Sometimes the expression "a certifiable hit" really can be certified. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) reported that it has sold three million iPads in the 80 days since its U.S. release in April.

Going forward, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said his company is moving quickly to ramp up international distribution. "People are loving the iPad as it becomes a part of their daily lives," Jobs said in a statement. "We're working hard to get this magical product into the hands of even more people around the world, including those in nine more countries next month."

Mobile Apps Boosting iPad Adoption

Although it's a new mobile device, the iPad had the advantage of being able to run most of the massive library of applications available for Apple's iPhone right from launch. Apple said there are currently over 225,000 applications available in the App Store. In addition, Apple said over 11,000 new applications have been created for the iPad that take advantage of its larger screen size and multi-touch interface.

While Apple has largely marketed the iPad to consumers, it's also attracting plenty of enterprise interest. Citrix released online survey results last week that showed about 56 percent of IT managers said they will buy iPads for business.

And 80 percent of those IT managers said they will allow personal iPads at work. Among the most popular applications noted for the iPad in the survey results were e-mail (88 percent); view, edit and create documents (77 percent) and online meetings (55 percent). Citrix said 558 people with an interest in the iPad participated in the survey.

Apple's big sales total comes at a time of increased interest in tablet and e-reader devices. Amazon's popular Kindle e-book reader is currently locked in a price war with upstart Nook, a competing e-bookreader from Barnes & Noble. The Kindle's price has been dropped from $259 down to $189, $10 less than the Nook's $199 price. Both the Kindle and Nook offer 3G connectivity. Yesterday, Barnes & Noble announced a Wi-Fi only version of the Nook for $149.

While these devices are more one-trick ponies without Web surfing and access to mobile applications, they are priced quite a bit lower than the iPad, which starts at $499 for the Wi-Fi model.

Earlier this month Jobs predicted mobile devices like the iPad will eventually prove more popular than traditional desk-bound PCs. "PCs are going to be like trucks. They are still going to be around," Jobs said. However, he added, only "one out of X people will need them."

David Needle is the West Coast bureau chief at InternetNews.com, the news service of Internet.com, the network for technology professionals.