300,000 iPad 3G Sold In First Weekend Claims Analyst

A high profile analyst has estimated that Apple shifted 300,000 iPad WiFi + 3G units in its first weekend of sales, based on stock checks at multiple Apple stores.  Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster claims 49 out of the 50 stores he checked with had sold out of their 3G-enabled iPad stock by Sunday evening, with standard WiFi-only models also commonly sold out too.

"Near-term, this may put downward pressure on launch day/weekend statistics, but long-term we see it as a positive, as consumers are definitely interested in the iPad as a new category.  In the first several quarters, we believe Apple will sell about 60% wi-fi only iPads and 40% 3G models." Gene Munster, Piper Jaffray

Of course, Munster also predicted 600,000 to 700,000 WiFi-only iPad sales on the first day alone, before Apple themselves revealed the number was more like 300,000.  Still, the analyst maintains that Apple will sell around 1.3m units in the first quarter of availability, with strong demand perhaps being tempered by stock shortages and uncertainty around the international launch.

International preorders for the iPad are expected to kick off on Monday, May 10th, with shipments at the end of the month.  More details on the iPad WiFi + 3G (including some speed tests for the tablet's integrated 3G modem) in our unboxing post here.

iPad WiFi + 3G unboxing:

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