Apple mum on 'record' iPad launch numbers

How many iPads did Apple sell over the weekend?

There is no official tally as of yet, but the company has already outed the device as setting a new record.

During this morning's conference call in which the company announced a dividend and a stock buy-back program, Apple CEO Tim Cook was asked by Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster about sales of the company's latest iPad, which was released Friday.

"We had a record weekend, and we're thrilled with it," Cook said.

Whether that's a record by iPad standards or of any Apple product remains to be seen. Days after launching the iPhone 4S in October Apple announced having sold 4 million of the devices, more than twice as many as the previous generation of the device. By comparison, Apple kept silent about launch numbers from last year's second-generation iPad, leaving details about unit sales until its closest earnings call.

Following the company's earnings announcement about the news this morning, AT&T said hit reached a new single-day record in iPad sales and activations.

Ahead of last week's launch, Apple sold out of units online, with wait times for new buyers stretching out two to three weeks. Apple responded by saying that "customer response to the new iPad has been off the charts."

In a note to investors last week, Munster said the firm expected Apple to sell more than 1 million iPads in the launch weekend. That estimate was based on strong preorders and the scale of the launch, which included a dozen countries.

Apple has sold more than 55 million iPads since launching it in 2010. The company sold 15.43 million in its most recently reported fiscal quarter, which ended in December.

Updated at 8:54 a.m. PT with note on AT&T iPad activations.