iPad 2 Sales: 500,000 Units Purchased on Apple Tablet's Big Opening Weekend

Is anybody surprised that the iPad 2 sold like hotcakes this weekend? Not really.

Apple has yet to release official numbers, but analysts report that the company sold roughly 500,000 units of the sleek new tablet computer during its first days on the market. Not bad, considering that 300,000 iPads were sold over the original device's opening weekend.

Now that the dust has settled on the iPad 2's debut, Surge Desk scans the Web for some initial thoughts:

GigaOM's Darrell Etherington wasn't holding his breath over iPad 2 sales:

"It's no surprise that Apple's initial iPad 2 shipment sold out so quickly, given how long the lines were on launch day. We had first-hand accounts of the long lines in various U.S. cities on Friday, and I've since heard that lines appeared to be at least a thousand strong in at least a few locations. Also, online shipping times quickly slipped to three to five weeks within hours of the iPad 2's availability."

PC World's Ian Paul says look out for the newbies:

"[Research firm] Piper Jaffray says it surveyed 236 prospective iPad 2 buyers in line at Apple Stores in New York and Minneapolis. Piper Jaffray determined that about 70 percent of iPad 2 buyers didn't own the original iPad, suggesting the iPad's user base is growing. It may also signal that original iPad owners are less interested in buying the latest and greatest version of their tablet compared to iPhone owners."

TechCrunch's Steve Gillmore is a little frustrated by the transition:

"Moving from iPad 1 to iPad 2 has been an exercise in confusion followed by fear followed by despair and now acceptance. I have no idea what I'll be left with, given that I've attempted to move from one Mac Book Pro to another, back up iTunes to DVD, upgrade to 4.3 of iOS on 2 iPhones and the old iPad 1, and finally move everything that's left to the new iPad 2. At this point I really don't care what happens, just that it does."

ZDNet's Jason Hiner thinks that "those who've waited" should go ahead and pick up the device:

"People who have already decided that the iPad is a good fit for their light computing and media consumption needs but have so far held out from buying the original iPad or any of the competing tablets are now rewarded for their patience. The iPad 2 maintains the same great catalog of apps and the same long battery life while doubling the performance, adding video calls, and slimming down the form factor -- all while maintaining the same price tag as the original. If you've held out so far, you now get a lot more tablet for your money."

Conan O'Brien is waiting on a better deal:

Wal-Mart has announced that it will begin selling the iPad 2 this spring. In packs of 1200.less than a minute ago via webConan O'Brien
ConanOBrien