Apple could sell 600,000 iPad 2s in three days

When the original iPad debuted a little less than a year ago, Apple sold a whopping 300,000 in 24 hours. With the release of the iPad 2 later today, analysts are estimating that Apple could sell as many as 600,000 units in only three days. Given the hype behind the iPad 2, not to mention the extremely positive reviews, and the fact that both the Wi-Fi and 3G models will be available on the same day this year, 600,000 units this weekend doesn't seem like an unreasonable estimate.

As Bloomberg points out, the first iPad was the fastest-selling technology product in history, measured by revenue -- and that was when not many people knew they needed a tablet. For those of you keeping track, however, the iPad is not the fastest-selling consumer electronics device in history, measured by unit volume. That award goes to Microsoft's Xbox Kinect, which sold 8 million units in its first 60 days on the market. Even with tablets reaching a tipping point this year -- and the iPad now a household name -- it's unlikely that Apple could sell 133,001 iPad 2s a day for the first 60 days, which is what it would take to dethrone the Kinect. However, if Apple does pull that off, you'll want to stock up on AAPL right now.