Apple sells over 300,000 iPads on day of debut, owners downloaded more than 250K e-books

Apple sells over 300,000 iPads on day of debut

CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple says it sold more than 300,000 iPads on Saturday, the day it debuted across the country.

Sales included pre-orders of the iPad, a new type of touch-screen device that blends features of the iPhone, electronic book readers and tablet computers.

Prices start at $499 for iPads that connect to the Internet through Wi-Fi. Apple will sell costlier iPads with cellular data connections later this month.

Apple says that iPad owners downloaded over a million applications from its app store and more than 250,000 electronic books on Saturday.

Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs says the iPad is going to be a game changer.

Its shares are down 17 cents to $235.80 in premarket trading.