300,000 iPads sold on day one BUT stocks fell 4% only to go up 1%

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Apple said it sold 300,000 iPads in the United States on the first day the highly anticipated tablet device was available.

The Cupertino, Calif.-based company also said Monday that iPad users downloaded over one million apps from Apple's App Store and over 250,000 ebooks from its iBookstore during the first day, Saturday.

"It feels great to have the iPad launched into the world," Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive, said in a statement. "iPad users, on average, downloaded more than three apps and close to one book within hours of unpacking their new iPad."

Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) said the figure includes deliveries of pre-ordered iPads, deliveries to channel partners and sales at Apple Retail Stores. The iPad became available in the United States for the first time Saturday.

Shares of the company fell to $234.76 in electronic trading Monday after closing Thursday at $235.97. U.S. financial markets were closed for the Good Friday holiday
[link to money.cnn.com]



[link to money.cnn.com]

Apple shares fell 4% immediately after CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the Apple iPad, a touch-screen tablet computer that runs apps from the iTunes store and boasts a 10-hour battery life.

But shares recovered a little over an hour later and rose 1% after Jobs announced that prices would start at $499.