Confirmed: One Million iPads Sold to Date

Apple Inc. has officially confirmed the shipping of one million iPads, a remarkable feat, according to the company’s CEO, who points out that the milestone was hit in less than half the time it took the iPhone to sell this many units.

Below are two relevant excerpts from Apple’s official announcement, including a statement from the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Steve Jobs.

CUPERTINO, California—May 3, 2010—Apple today announced that it sold its one millionth iPad on Friday, just 28 days after its introduction on April 3. iPad users have already downloaded over 12 million apps from the App Store and over 1.5 million ebooks from the new iBookstore.  

“One million iPads in 28 days—that’s less than half of the 74 days it took to achieve this milestone with iPhone,” Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, says. “Demand continues to exceed supply and we’re working hard to get this magical product into the hands of even more customers.”

Apple’s press release continues to outline what it is exactly that makes the iPad so great, informing readers that, “iPad allows users to connect with their apps and content in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before.” The rest of the description is identical to the one used in the latest iPad announcements.

Confirming the findings of a metrics firm, which said last week Apple’s iPad App Store was coming close to hosting 5,000 apps, Apple reveals that, “Developers have created over 5,000 exciting new apps for iPad that take advantage of its Multi-Touch user interface, large screen and high-quality graphics.” Apple reminds those who haven’t yet acquired a unit that its latest creation runs pretty much every application living in the entire iTunes App Store. The iPad, as many should know, runs an enhanced version of the iPhone OS, enabling it to be compatible with most of the titles available for download from the App Store.

Earlier today, Softpedia reported that Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster predicted Apple had sold 300,000 3G iPads this past weekend. Apple sold just as many WiFi-only units in the first 24 hours, last month.

The 3G-capable iPad went on sale on Friday, last week, while both versions (including the WiFi-only model) are currently limited to the United States. Both the 3G iPad and the WiFi iPad will become available in other territories (including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK) later this month.