The iPad is iN Stores

Yesterday on the subway home, a 10-year-old boy asked me if I was using an iPad. I looked down at my bright red e-reader with the word SONY emblazoned upon it and explained it to him. It only later occurred to me that the iPad is actually on sale to the public now. (I've been a bit of a space cadet lately with too much working and not enough sleeping.)

On sale since midnight on April 3, the iPad has been selling left and right at the low-low price of $499 (yes, that's sarcasm). The PR Newswire released the official sales stats from Apple this week:

Apple® [...] announced that it sold over 300,000 iPads in the US as of midnight Saturday, April 3. These sales included deliveries of pre-ordered iPads to customers, deliveries to channel partners and sales at Apple Retail Stores. Apple also announced that iPad users downloaded over one million apps from Apple's App Store and over 250,000 ebooks from its iBookstore during the first day.

"It feels great to have the iPad launched into the world -- it's going to be a game changer," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "iPad users, on average, downloaded more than three apps and close to one book within hours of unpacking their new iPad."

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution with the Apple II, then reinvented the personal computer with the Macintosh. Apple continues to lead the industry with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system, and iLife, iWork and professional applications. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store, has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.

See the article HERE

I'm not much of a math person, but even I can't ignore the fact that Apple made $149,700,000 in a 24-hour period. And that's from iPad sales alone, not including tax or any apps or accessories. It truly is a "game-changer," and not just for Apple and its growing pursestrings.

Though e-book popularity has been growing at a very steady rate with the developments of the Sony E-reader, Kindle, and Nook, the iPad pushes the trend to a whole new level.

Max Jarman, a reporter for the Arizona Republic, put it plainly for his readers:

The trend began long before the iPad. Amazon.com Inc., the world's largest retailer of digital and traditional books, sold more electronic books than paper ones last holiday season.

Analysts don't have a clear picture yet of what the new order will look like, but Amazon aims to have every book ever published, in any language, in print or out of print, available in less than 60 seconds to a Kindle user anywhere in the world.

The new era will bring out-of-print books back to life, making obscure titles, as well as current best-sellers, available on demand.

The pace of change, hastened by the iPad and numerous other devices, is likely to accelerate.

Not even counting the projected 2 million iPads to be bought this year, analysts estimate that 6 million electronic readers will be sold in 2010 and 19 million in 2013. In five years, more than 100 million could be in use, according to the Yankee Group, a Boston-based market-research firm.

As the e-readers multiply, they are likely to get cheaper, making them a must-have
electronic device.

The shift is expected to have far-reaching effects, touching not only book shops and online stores but the entire publishing industry.

Read the rest of Jarman's piece HERE

I gotta admit, I'm not excited.