iPad 2 sells out within days
The halls of Apple HQ will be filled with the sound of self adulation following news of the iPad 2's release in the States.
Within days of its Friday release in the US, the device has entirely sold out with some analysts predicting as many as a million units could have been sold during its opening retail weekend. Considering the original iPad took the best part of a month to achieve the same level of sales, this is no mean feat.
Online orders are now being quoted as having a shipping time of between three and four weeks, the delays being noted within hours of the device going on sale, and long queues were witnessed across America's Apple retail outlets.
According to a survey held by investment banking firm Piper Jaffray, one interesting factor surrounding the level of sales achieved is that a considerable 70 percent of purchasers were new to the platform. If that is the case, then it would suggest that Apple has managed to entice consumers who were previously uninterested in the firm's tablet device, which could mean big sales during 2011.
The big worry for the UK channel, however, is that the rapid uptake of the device could lead to serious delays in its release over here. Last time, strong sales of the iPad meant a switch in the release date from late April to late May and it's a very real possibility that the market could suffer such a delay again this year.
In other news for Apple, a company exec has confirmed that a white version of the iPhone 4 will be on sale from this spring. Phil Schiller, senior vice president for worldwide product marketing, made the claim on his Twitter page and, if it's true, it will put an end to a long wait for the device, first unveiled last June.
