When the new iPad hit stores last Friday, everyone knew there would be the long lines of excited Apple fans waiting anxiously for the doors to open.  This is common culture for Apple, regardless of what product is being launched.  But on Friday, things were different.  The new iPad was for sale and customers were about to get their hands on an iPad that boasted a retina display consisting of 3.1 million pixels – 1 million pixels more than a 1080p HD screen of the equivalent size.  Along with the retina, the new iPad features a faster processor and 4G capability.

Even though we saw the same lines form for the new iPad that we’ve seen before for the previous iPad versions, and for every new iPhone launch since 2007, this iPad is different.  According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, the new iPad sold over 3.1 million units during its first week on the market.  The two main contributing factors to the new iPad’s success have been:

1)  Apple logistics and supply chain are obviously more prepared this time than with previous iPad (or even iPhone) launches.  The typical way this would go would be near instant sell outs and weeks of backlogs for sales.

2)  Apple released the new iPad to 12 countries simultaneously:  United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

So the massive initial launch, combined with the refined logistical backend support has contributed to the new iPad being the most successful iPad launch to date.  Even carriers like AT&T announced single sale records for the iPad on Friday.

But Apple and the new iPad are far from done with their global domination – 24 more countries are coming online today to release the new iPad.  And as can be expected, there will be a frenzy of new iPad’s flying off the shelves of retailers.

via wptv.com