AT&T iPad Air off to a strong start: Sales triple last year’s iPad 4 launch
Apple launched its new iPad Air on Nov. 1 and it seems to be a hit already, as AT&T has announced triple sales compared to last year's iPad launch.
Official sales figures from Apple itself are not yet available, but it seems that the sleek new iPad Air is off to a strong start. AT&T has provided some details on its sales of the new tablet and it sounds very promising. According to the carrier, sales and activations of new iPads Air on its network are three times higher than those of the iPad 4, which launched last year.
"iPad activations on AT&T increased more than 200% over the past three days compared to last year's launch weekend, driven by consumer excitement around the new iPad Air and the popularity of AT&T Mobile Share, which lets customers add an iPad to their existing data plan for just $10 a month," AT&T touted in a press release on Monday, Nov. 4. "We also saw strong demand for AT&T Next, which offers customers an iPad for $0 down on the nation's fastest and most reliable 4G LTE network."
The fifth-generation iPad is the thinnest, lightest iPad so far, which prompted Apple to rename it as the iPad Air. The slate went on sale last Friday, Nov. 1, to an eager crowd of iFans, and it seems that it is yet another hit device for the company. If this strong start is any indication, the new iPad Air could mark Apple's most successful iPad launch ever.
Keep in mind that these early figures are from AT&T alone, as Apple is yet to provide details on how many iPads Air it has sold since launch. With the lucrative holiday shopping season just around the corner, Apple will likely see an even greater demand for its new-generation tablets.
While the iPad Air already made its commercial debut on Nov. 1, the new iPad Mini with Retina Display is yet to hit store shelves. The second-generation iPad Mini is set to launch later this month, but Apple has not provided any exact release date so far. The iPad Mini with Retina display is expected to further boost iPad sales during the holiday season.