Apple has announced staggering opening weekend sales of the new iPad, shifting over three million units world wide.

The company remained tight-lipped about official sales figures during a Monday morning conference call on how to spend its massive cash reserves, only admitting to a "record opening weekend."

However, later in the day, the company came clean with marketing boss Phil Schiller saying: “The new iPad is a blockbuster with three million sold - the strongest iPad launch yet.

“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.”

The new iPad is currently only on sale in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Switzerland and naturally the UK.

Those figures are likely to look even more impressive after Friday when the third-generation tablet hits 25 more countries, including the likes of Ireland, Italy, Spain, Holland, New Zealand and Mexico.

Apple may have accounted for the bulk of its $100 billion by announcing plans to pay dividends to stockholders and buy back a host of shares, but we can't imagine those cash reserves staying low given the speed at which these new iPads are moving.

Via: Apple