Apple (AAPL +1.17%) had two distinct iPad product launches last year, and the company took both opportunities to tout launch figures. It sold more than 3 million units in each of those launch weekends, yet it said nothing today about how it fared over the weekend when it launched the iPad Air. Presumably, Apple would have been happy to brag about any figure topping previous records, so perhaps it sold fewer than 3 million and didn't want to face possible investor disappointment. Investors don't seem to mind, though, as the company posted a nice gain today.
However, third-party estimates suggest that Apple had a great weekend. Mobile app marketing Fiksu has released estimates based on early usage patterns that suggest iPad Air adoption is five times greater than the fourth-generation iPad enjoyed at launch and three times higher than the iPad Mini. Apple certainly sold a boatload of iPad Airs over the weekend, but investors can't know exactly how many.
In this segment of Tech Teardown, Erin Kennedy discusses the iPad Air's debut weekend with Evan Niu, CFA, our tech and telecom bureau chief.
