Even for the most avid Apple fan, the hype surrounding the release of the iPad must seem somewhat bemusing. If you already have a MacBook and an iPhone, buying an iPad seems like buying a scooter, when you already own a car and a motorbike. Clearly, almost 1 million people have found a compelling reason to purchase an iPad on the weekend of its maiden voyage. Apple predicted that the launch of the iPad in the USA would bring about between 200,000 and 300,000 unit sales. This target appears to have been obliterated with a reported 700,000 sales between its release early on Saturday morning and the close of play on Sunday night.  It took Apple nearly over two months to sell a million of the original 2G-iPhone handsets. As such, the latest Apple iPad sales figures will make for some encouraging reading. Am I missing something?

The iPad looks graceful, elegant and unfamiliar to current technologies. It may act as a suitable replacement to the notebook, as in turn; the notebook has to some extent replaced the use of the traditional desktop PC. Perhaps some of the associated challenges with the iPad, such as application development and content creation, can be overcome using peripheral devices (a docking station and keyboard would probably be a decent place to start). Were you one of the lucky few to purchase an iPad on Saturday? Do you intend to buy an iPad when they go on sale in the UK? Let us know your thoughts using the Facebook Connect login below.