Steve Jobs: iPad Sales Stand At 450,000, Supply Thin

Author: by Kris Graft, Christian Nutt

During an Apple event in Apple's Cupertino, CA headquarters Thursday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said the recently-released iPad has sold through 450,000 to date, and the company is struggling to keep up with demand. Apple's wi-fi-only touchscreen-enabled iPad released on April 3 in the U.S. for $499, and already boasts hundreds of games from a wide array of developers, from Firemint's Real Racing HD through Ngmoco's We Rule and beyond. Apple said the iPad sold 300,000 in its first day. "Our [manufacturing] ramp is going well, but evidently we can't make enough of them yet," Jobs said at the Gamasutra-attended event. The exec told attendees that the device is sold out at major electronics retailer Best Buy. Jobs added that iPad users have downloaded 3.5 million apps as of today. iPad's first day saw 1 million apps downloaded. So far, Apple has only released the dedicated wi-fi version of the iPad. The 3G-plus-wi-fi version is slated to land at retailers later this month.