• Bloomberg, Wednesday, June 23, 2010 11:31 PM

Apple said it sold 3 million iPads in the 80 days since the device went on the sale in the U.S., adding to evidence CEO Steve Jobs is building demand for tablet-style computers. Software developers have created more than 11,000 applications for the iPad since its April 3 debut. The iPad lets users read digital books, surf the Web, watch videos and play games, notes Bloomberg. The popularity had various analysts boosting their 2010 Apple projections.

Apple's announcement comes in the same week that leading eReader manufacturers Amazon and Barnes & Noble moved to put some pricing distance between their products (the Kindle and Nook) and the versatile iPad -- which serves as a portable computer, multimedia hub, and a full-colour eReader.

The iPad currently retails at a starting price of $499, a price point that left it uncomfortably close to the $259 tag attached to the 3G-equipped Kindle and Nook devices ahead of their recent adjustments, reports The Tech Herald. As things stand, the 3G Kindle now retails for $189, while the 3G Nook retails for $199. Barnes & Noble has also unveiled a new WiFi-only Nook, which will sell for just $149.

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