Apple stays mum on iPad Air's first-weekend sales - CNET

The Apple Store in Palo Alto, Calif.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

It looks like Apple won't be bragging just yet about the early sales of its iPad Air.

Apple, which has made it a routine to release first-weekend sales figures after the launches of new iPads and iPhones, this morning did not release a statement, which typically comes out at 5:30 a.m. PT the first Monday after a launch.

The lack of a press release could mean Apple is holding off until a later time, or that it is waiting for the launch of its iPad Mini with Retina Display , which is slated to hit stores later this month.

Apple announced sales of the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C the following Monday after launch, touting 9 million iPhones sold over the first weekend.

Even without official figures, the early indication is that the iPad Air did better than its predecessor -- five times better than the fourth-generation iPad, in fact.

The iPad Air launches as Apple proves it's still at the top of its game when it comes to tablets. While the iPad Air doesn't represent a huge leap over its predecessor, the bump in specifications and redesigned body may have proved enough to convince buyers to jump aboard.

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said Friday that he expected Apple to sell between 2.5 million and 3.5 million tablets over the weekend.

Apple sold 3 million over the same period a year ago. Of course, the 2012 figures include sales and preorders for the iPad and iPad Mini. This year, preorders weren't available for the iPad Air, and the iPad Mini with Retina Display has yet to launch.

Also available were the older iPad Mini and iPad 2.

In addition, this year marked the company's widest iPad launch: 42 countries got their hands on an iPad on launch day, including China. Last year, only 27 countries were part of the launch event.

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