iPad app downloads top 1 million on first weekend

Apple's iPad went on sale Saturday, and the computing giant reports that consumers have already downloaded more than a million applications and over 250,000 ebooks to the new tablet device. "iPad users, on average, downloaded more than three apps and close to one book within hours of unpacking their new iPad," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs in a prepared statement.

As of Monday morning, the App Store features 3,275 iPad apps, according to mobile analytics firm App Shopper--by comparison, the company reports there are now close to 180,000 applications for Apple's iPhone. Mobile ad exchange Mobclix notes that about 80 percent of iPad applications carry premium price tags, while the remaining 20 percent are free--the average iPad paid app price is $4.99.

While Mobclix reports that games presently account for close to a third of all iPad apps, productivity apps claim the top four spots on the App Store's new iPad premium downloads chart. Apple's own Pages word processing app, priced at $9.99, ranks number one on the Paid Apps countdown, followed by its Numbers and Keynote apps; the GoodReader tablet edition app and Firemint's Real Racing HD game round out the top five. Among free iPad applications, Apple's new iBooks app tops the chart, followed by ABC Player, Netflix, USA Today for iPad and WeatherBug Elite for iPad.

Apple said iPad sales already exceed 300,000 units. Apple 2.0 reports that Apple needed 74 days to reach the 1 million sales benchmark when the original iPhone debuted in mid-2007--the subsequent iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS each topped a million sales within three days of release.

For more on the iPad app explosion:
- read this release

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