It's official: iPad now the all-time fastest-selling gadget

For those of us who are Apple fanatics, we've had a feeling that the iPad was popular. Whether it's seeing the devices pop out all over the plane on an airline flight, or having to give hundreds of demos of the iPad on a cruise ship, it's apparent that Apple's tablet is still a hot item.

Now it's officially the fastest-selling tech device in history. According to Bernstein Research financial analyst Colin McGranahan, the iPad has now sold an estimate 8.5 million units and is a "runaway success of unprecedented proportion." In an article in Information Week, writer Paul McDougall also notes that the iPad is starting to have a measurable effect on PC sales. A recent research study by NPD found that 13% of iPad users would have purchased a PC if they hadn't been able to buy an iPad.

Coupled with the recent start of iPad sales at U.S. mega-retailers Target and Walmart, the device is sure to break many more records over the holiday buying season.