Can Apple Maintain Its Blazing iPad Sales Pace?

Al Hilwa, program director for Applications Development Software at research firm IDC, notes that the iPad is a derivative product compared to the iPhone, which helped blaze the mobile application trail via Apple's App Store.

"By the time the iPad shipped, everyone had a sense of what it is, as most people imagined the ready advantages of a larger iPhone,” Hilwa said. The fast iPad sales rate "doesn't necessarily imply that six months down the line, Apple will have the same penetration," he said.

Apple recorded its millionth iPad sale on Friday, and CEO Steve Jobs wasted no time in pointing this out.

“One million iPads in 28 days -- that’s less than half of the 74 days it took to achieve this milestone with iPhone,” Jobs said in a statement. “Demand continues to exceed supply and we’re working hard to get this magical product into the hands of even more customers.”

Apple unveiled the 3G version of the iPad this past weekend and had sold 300,000 by Sunday night, according to Gene Munster, an analyst with Piper Jaffray.

Apple previously postponed releasing the iPad internationally because of heightened domestic demand, and the company expects to announce the exact date for the international launch by May 10.

Earlier this month, Apple COO Tim Cook said that iPad demand in the U.S. was "much, much stronger than we predicted" and that Apple would be "adding capacity and we'll see where it goes."