iPad Sales Pass 3 Million

It was bound to happen sometime, but prior to launch no one could have seen this coming. In a press release issued Tuesday, Apple has announced the sale of 3 million iPads in the first 80 days since the device was made available to the public.

This news comes after the device sold its first million in 28 days, and its second million in less than 60. The growth in iPad sales shows no signs of stopping, with Tuesday’s announcement being one that is absolutely astonishing given that it took Apple 74 days to sell only one million first generation iPhones.

According to the press release, which contains a statement from Apple CEO Steve Jobs:

“People are loving iPad as it becomes a part of their daily lives,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “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.”

“Developers have created over 11,000 exciting new apps for iPad that take advantage of its Multi-Touch™ user interface, large screen and high-quality graphics. iPad will run almost all of the more than 225,000 apps on the App Store, including apps already purchased for your iPhone® or iPod touch®.”

“Users can browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch HD videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and much more, all using iPad’s revolutionary Multi-Touch user interface. iPad is 0.5 inches thin and weighs just 1.5 pounds—thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook—and delivers up to 10 hours of battery life.*”

With the iPad selling 3 million units in 80 days, the sales growth is accelerating, rather than slowing down. This is a trend that one can only expect to continue when the iPad goes on sale in an additional 9 more countries starting in July.

What Tuesday’s announcement also signals to others in the tablet and e-reader market, Amazon with the Kindle and Barnes and Noble with the Nook (both of which dropped prices on their devices this week), is that Apple’s device appeals to more than simply a niche market as many Apple products do. The iPad is truly a device that has caused a paradigm shift in mobile media consumption which may lead to the death of other devices functioning solely as an e-reader.

Are you at all impressed with the staggering speed at which Apple has sold 3 million iPads? If you have one, could you ever envision yourself with out one?