Apple sells three million iPads

Apple sold more than three million iPads in three days following the launch of its smaller iPad mini and the fourth generation of the iPad.

The sales figures beat the previous record of 1.5 million that was set in March for the wi-fi only version of the third generation of the tablet.

The company is set to put the mobile data enabled version of both the mini and fourth-gen iPad on sale in the US in a few weeks, with other countries to follow later in the year.

"We set a new launch weekend record and practically sold out of iPad minis," Apple chief executive Tim Cook said. "We're working hard to build more quickly to meet the incredible demand."

The fourth generation of the iPad comes with a new A6x chip. The iPad mini is a smaller version of the popular tablet, with a 7.9 inch display and a 10-hour battery life. It is available in white and black, and starts from €339.