Million iPads Sold, Lala Goodbye, Steam For Mac

Apple launched the 3G version of the iPad last Friday, selling 300,000 units on that day, many of those pre-ordered. This put total iPad sales past 1 million units in just 28 days of sales. It took the original iPhone 74 days to hit 1 million.
Meanwhile, the landscape for competition to the iPad changed dramatically this week. Microsoft cancelled its plans for the Courier tablet computer. HP’s Slate tablet plans are also in doubt now that they have purchased Palm. The purchase is speculated to be about getting the Palm WebOS operating system to use on the Slate. Integration could push back a release. But other rumors point to a Windows-based Slate this year, and a WebOS version later on.
Several months ago Apple purchased iTunes-competitor Lala, and this week they announced they are shutting down the service, at least in its existing state. Various levels of compensation will be given to those with an existing balance or access to net-based music. Apple may be using the cloud-based technology behind Lala to improve iTunes in the future.
Game maker Valve Software will release Steam for Mac on May 12. This is Valve’s own system for game distribution and communication. This means many formerly Windows-only games will now be available for the Mac, including Portal, Counter-Strike: Source, the Half-Life 2 episodes, the Left 4 Dead series, and more. Better yet, those with Steam accounts that have purchased the games on Windows will be able to download the Mac versions for free.