Apple Sells 300,000 iPads on Debut Day
By wchung | 22 Mar, 2026

People record with various electronic devices the opening of the Apple Store in Palo Alto, Calif., in preparation of the launch and sale of the iPad Saturday, April 3, 2010. Eager customers have been lining up outside Apple Stores and some Best Buys to be among the first to buy an iPad as sales started at 9 a.m. Saturday in each time zone. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Apple says it sold more than 300,000 iPads on Saturday, the day it debuted across the country.

Sales included pre-orders of the iPad, a new type of touch-screen device that blends features of the iPhone, electronic book readers and tablet computers.

Prices start at $499 for iPads that connect to the Internet through Wi-Fi. Apple will sell costlier iPads with cellular data connections later this month.

Apple says that iPad owners downloaded over a million applications from its app store and more than 250,000 electronic books on Saturday.

Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs says the iPad is going to be a game changer.

Its shares are down 17 cents to $235.80 in premarket trading.

CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP)