Apple Sells An iPad Every Two Seconds

Apple said it sold three million iPads as of Monday, just 80 days after the touch-screen tablet computer went on sale in the U.S.

That works out to about 37,500 units per day, or about one every two seconds, and demand is such that consumers looking to purchase one of the devices are facing wait times of a week or more.

"People are loving iPad as it becomes part of their daily lives," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs, in a statement released by the company Tuesday.

"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," said Jobs.

The wait time for those who order an iPad from the online Apple Store is now seven to ten days, according to a note on the store's Web site.

Apple also announced that developers have now created more than 11,000 iPad-specific applications. The iPad will also run most apps created for the iPhone and iPod Touch, though graphics quality may be uneven on the larger iPad.

Apple is positioning the iPad—essentially an oversized iPod Touch--as an all-purpose handheld that's optimized for e-reading, viewing videos and images, and gaming.

Pricing for the Wi-Fi only version, which features 802.11 connectivity, starts at $499 for the 16GB model, $599 for the 32GB model, and $699 for the 64GB version. The Wi-Fi + 3G versions are priced higher. The 16GB model is $629, the 32GB model is $729, and the 64GB version is priced at $829.

Apple shares were up 1.74%, to $274.86, in midday trading Tuesday.