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The figure shows the global sales of the Apple iPad from the third fiscal quarter of 2010 to the 2nd fiscal quarter of 2012. 4.69 million iPads were sold from January to March 2011. The iPad was unveiled in January 2010 by then-CEO Steve Jobs and became available to the public three months later. In contrast to earlier tablet PCs, the iPad was marketed as a consumer device that would fill the gap between smartphones and laptop computers. The iPad is closely related to Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch, as it uses the same operating system and multi-touch user interface. Like its smaller relatives, the iPad is open to third-party applications that can be purchased and downloaded in Apple’s well-established App Store.