Apple Sells 3 Million New iPads Following Weekend Launch

According to Apple, that figure represents the best opening sales for its iPad product since the product launched in the spring of 2010.

"The new iPad is a blockbuster with three million sold -- the strongest iPad launch yet," said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, in a press statement. "Customers are loving the incredible new features of iPad, including the stunning Retina display, and we can't wait to get it into the hands of even more customers around the world this Friday."

[Related: New iPad Launch Draws Crowds ]

Apple made the announcement Monday afternoon following an announcement and conference call earlier in the day regarding the company's new dividend and stock repurchase program. During the conference call, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the iPad 3 saw "a record weekend, and we're thrilled with it," but declined to give any specific sales numbers.

The new iPad is the third generation model of Apple's highly successful tablet; while the second generation model was named the iPad 2, Apple ditched the numerical title and simply dubbed the third-generation model "the new iPad." The third-generation iPad boasts a number of upgraded features such as a new high-resolution "Retina" display, as well as Apple's A5X quad-core processor, and full HD video playback.