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iPad sales top two million units

Analysts project 8.1m shipments in 2010, over 5000 iPad-specific apps available

Just 60 days from its original launch and four days after its UK release, sales of the Apple iPad have passed two million units.

On May 4, Apple confirmed the iPad had sold one million units in 28 days, reaching six figures twice as quickly as had the original iPhone.

Analyst RBC Capital Markets projects that shipments will reach 8.13m by the end of this year, which would create an estimated $4 billion in revenue for Apple. Sales targets have not been revealed.

"Customers around the world are experiencing the magic of iPad, and seem to be loving it as much as we do," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "We appreciate their patience, and are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone."

The global iPad launch occurred just a day after the revelation that Wall Street now considers Apple a bigger tech firm than Microsoft.

On May 27, Apple was valued at $222.12 billion and Microsoft at $219.18 billion, though the latter's net profit still dwarfs Apple's, at $14.6 billion compared to $5.7 billion. Apple shares stand at $257 at the time of writing, against Microsoft's $26.

The iPad's continuing success will depend on its App store as much as the hardware. Apple confirms developers have now created over 5000 iPad-specific apps, in addition to the existing repository of 200,000 iPhone Apps.

The California tech firm's fortunes will doubtless be further bolstered by the rumoured launch of the next-generation iPhone, dubbed the 4G by fan sites, later this month.

The iPad tablet device is now available in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and Switzerland, with nine more countries (including Ireland) due to receive it in July. More nations will follow later in the year.

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Alec Meer

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A 10-year veteran of scribbling about video games, Alec primarily writes for Rock, Paper, Shotgun, but given any opportunity he will escape his keyboard and mouse ghetto to write about any and all formats.

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