Media Companies Top Free iPad Application Download Lists

Over a million iPad applications were downloaded during the device’s first day on the market, Apple announced today. That number has likely near doubled since, as users continued to explore their devices over the Easter weekend. As of midnight on Saturday, the company said it had sold a total of 300,000 units, which includes devices pre-ordered by customers over the past few weeks.

Following the hype surrounding the launch of the device, advertisers scrambled to align their brands with the launch of applications from high profile media companies and brands. As of this afternoon, offerings from a number of those companies populated the most downloaded free application list, including those from ABC, The New York Times, USA Today, BBC Worldwide, Yahoo, and The Wall Street Journal. (Though the WSJ application itself is free, access to content is available to subscribers only.)

Launch advertisers for The Wall Street Journal application include Buick, Capital One, Coca-Cola, FedEx, and Oracle, while The New York Times’ free application features exclusive sponsorship from Chase Sapphire.

By contrast, the paid application space was dominated by the gaming category, though Time magazine’s latest issue sat at the number 16 spot this afternoon, at a $4.99 price point.

Interestingly, many of the apps currently have low ratings on the iTunes store, as users report bugs and hangs within the applications themselves. Those glitches will likely be ironed out through device and application updates, but users are clearly feeling the need to voice their dissatisfaction with some of the content available to them at launch.