Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster is predicting that Apple will sell 150,000 to 200,000 iPads this weekend. He’s also forecasting 2010 total sales of of 2.8 million iPads.
As noted by “Silicon Alley Insider” (http://macosg.me/2/27), those numbers are much lower than some estimates of six million to 10 million unit sales. However, Munster goes on to say that the apps will ultimately “drive demand longer term” for the iPad. The Sellers Research Firm (that’s me) predicts 500,000 unit sales this weekend and nine million total for 2010.
The iPad will be available in Wi-Fi models in the US for a suggested retail price of US$499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB, and $699 for 64GB. The Wi-Fi + 3G models will be available in late April for a suggested retail price of $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB and $829 for 64GB. The iPad will be sold in the US through the Apple Store (http://www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores, most Best Buy stores, select Apple Authorized Resellers and campus bookstores.