On November 1st, Apple finally released the iPad Air. This much awaited tablet was unveiled on October 22nd, it touts upgraded internals and a new design. The tablet actually comes with the most design changes to have been made after the iPad 2 was launched back in 2011, borrowing a lot of design elements from the iPad Mini. The tablet is now available for sale through Apple Retail Stores as well as retailers, launch day sales are expected to range between 2.5 million to 3.5 million, as per famed analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray.
Apple may very well break last year’s record, when it released both the fourth generation iPad and the first generation iPad mini together. Including pre-orders and launch weekend sales, the figure reached 3 million combined. This time around, Apple hasn’t accepted pre-orders for its full-fledged tablet, whereas the second generation iPad mini hasn’t even been released yet. This is actually Apple’s biggest tablet launch to date, offering it initially in 42 countries, including China. Last year, the two new tablets were initially launched in just 27 countries. So it wouldn’t come as a surprise if the iPad Air overtakes last year’s launch weekend record. Apple is expected to reveal the official weekend sales figures on Monday, though it might keep quiet, seeing as how there’s still a lot of uncertainty surrounding Retina iPad mini’s release.
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