And Apple retail preorders may reach 700 per store

Apple could have 200,000 iPad pre-orders within just a week, according to new estimates. After discounting non-iPad orders, well-regarded unofficial analyst Daniel Tello has determined that Apple has obtained about 180,000 pre-orders for the tablet as of mid-Wednesday. While the rate has slowed to about 10,000 advance requests per day, the figure would be enough to pass the 200,000 mark by Friday.

Tello didn't make an updated guess as to how many iPads would be pre-ordered before April 3rd but, in line with earlier predictions at the AAPL Sanity board, still expected Apple to sell 1 million iPads by mid-April. The figure doesn't include in-store reservations or those who might buy one of the devices on impulse at retail.

A possible leak through Apple, however, claims that in-store reservations may also be high. As of Monday, BGR has heard that Apple stores had an average of 700 reservations, with these running as high as 1,600 at the 5th Avenue flagship store in New York City. About half are said to be for 32GB capacities, 30 percent for 64GB models and just 20 percent for 16GB, all of which Apple was reportedly "expecting."

While a reservation doesn't necessarily commit customers to an actual purchase, the figure could almost double the actual sales in its current state. During its last quarter, Apple had an average of 278 retail stores open during the quarter, the majority of which are in the US. If 200 stores matched the reservation average, about 140,000 iPads would be sold in addition to online purchases.

If accurate, the combined figures would already give Apple the most successful e-reader launch to date and, potentially, performance better than most tablet PCs achieve in whole quarters or years. Amazon is generally thought to have only achieved figures comparable to Apple's some months after the Kindle first shipped, and Barnes & Noble has never had its Nook sales figures published or leaked.

By Electronista Staff

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