Apple Sells 3 Million iPad Mini And iPad 4s In 3 Days

Combined opening weekend figures are more than double that of iPad 3

Apple today claimed it sold more than three million units of the Wi-Fi only versions of the iPad Mini and fourth generation iPad since they launched last Friday.

The figure takes into account the combined sales of the two devices as Apple did not provide separate totals, but the data is not surprising given that pre-orders of the iPad Mini reportedly sold out within minutes of going on sale last month.

Apple claimed this is double the previous opening weekend record of 1.5 million units, which was achieved by the iPad 3 in March this year.

iPad Mini sales

“Customers around the world love the new iPad mini and fourth generation iPad,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We set a new launch weekend record and practically sold out of iPad minis. We’re working hard to build more quickly to meet the incredible demand.”

The Wi-Fi only versions of the tablets have been released in the US, Canda, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and the UK, with other countries getting in on the act before the end of the year. Apple said that although many pre-orders have been fulfilled, some were scheduled for later this month, with the Wi-Fi + Cellular versions appearing in the US in a few weeks.

After months of speculation, Apple finally unveiled the iPad Mini last month in what was widely seen as a reaction to the popularity of seven-inch tablets from Apple and Google. The 7.9-inch tablet is compatible with all existing native iPad applications, boasts the same resolution as its bigger brother and apparently all of its components are equal to or better than an iPad 2.

The fourth generation iPad was revealed at the same time, just a few months after Apple unveiled the third iteration of the tablet.  Just one month earlier, Apple took the wraps off of the iPhone 5, which the firm claimed smashed all existing pre-order records.

What do you know about tablets? Find out with our quiz!