Apple wasn't the only company to benefit from last Friday's iPad launch. Telecoms also basked in the glory of new device purchases and activations.
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AT&T announced on Monday that it set a record for the most iPad sales and activations in one day, following the debut of the much-anticipated new Apple device on Friday.
The company didn't release any details about how many units were sold.
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Meanwhile, Apple CEO Tim Cook also commented on the wild success of the new iPad's blockbuster weekend. During a conference call on Monday morning regarding Apple's dividend and share buyback program, he said that Apple has "a record weekend." He did not elaborate on that statement.
Although Apple hasn't gone on the record with how many devices were sold this year or even last year with the launch of the iPad 2, some analysts said about one million iPad 2 units were sold opening weekend. This means that the new iPad smashed that record.
Apple also announced it will start a $10 billion share repurchasing program, starting in Apple’s fiscal 2013, which starts on September 30, 2012. This means Apple will spend approximately $45 billion of its cash reserves on dividends and share buyback in the first three years of these new programs.
“We have used some of our cash to make great investments in our business through increased research and development, acquisitions, new retail store openings, strategic prepayments and capital expenditures in our supply chain, and building out our infrastructure. You’ll see more of all of these in the future,” Cook said.
Have you seen the new iPad yet? What are your initial thoughts? Let us know in the comments.
BONUS: The New iPad
The New iPad Details Hit Apple.com
The new 9.7-inch iPad has 2048 x 1536-pixel retina display, 5-megapixel camera (with the same optics sensor from the iPhone 4S) and 1080p video recording. It is available March 16 in black and white, powered by A5X chip (with quad-core graphics) and supports 4G LTE networks. It's 9.4 millimeters thick and 1.4 pounds.
Wi-Fi only iPads cost $499 for 16 GB, $599 32 GB and $699 for 64 GB, while 4G versions cost $629 for 16 GB, $729 32 GB and $829 for 64 GB. Pre-orders start today, and the devices will be in stores March 16 in these 10 countries: U.S., UK, Japan, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia.
Credit: Apple.com
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This story originally published on Mashable here.
