Apple reported on Monday that it has so far sold three million units of the new iPad, barely a week after the device was released.

The announcement was made as Apple shares again soared beyond the $US600 mark, like it did last week, but this time the value as the market closed on Monday, leaving the company's total market capitalisation at around $US560 billion.

The twin milestones have cemented Apple's reputation as one of the elite firms in the world, experts said, and with that enviable image comes the brimming cash flow that for a while the company appears to be clueless on handling.

Yet on the same day, Apple chief executive Tim Cook formally sent notice that part of the tech titan's cash surplus of $97.6 billion will be earmarked to deliver benefits to Apple shareholders in the form of share dividend issues and buybacks.

Starting July 1 this year, Apple will pay quarterly dividends of $US2.65 per share, leading to $10.60 per year or representing 1.8 percent of the present share value, according to The Associated Press (AP).

Share buybacks of up to $US10 billion will also be implemented by the end September and set for completion over the next three years, Apple said.

Afterwards, Apple's next moves will remain open as Cook declared that recent company decisions will definitely not lead to any closed doors.

The company hailed its new record sales as a clear testament to the incredible success achieved by its post-PC products - both the iPad and iPhone, which altered the landscape of both traditional and mobile computing spheres.

In a statement, Apple senior vice president of worldwide marketing Philip Schiller said on Monday that "the new iPad is a blockbuster with three million sold - the strongest iPad launch yet."

"Customers are loving the incredible new features of iPad ... and we can't wait to get it into the hands of even more customers around the world this Friday," Schiller was quoted by Agence France Presse (AFP) as saying.

The Apple executive was referring to the planned roll out of the new iPad on 25 new markets by March 23, which AP said will be mostly concentrated on the European continent.

March 16 last week, the new iPad debut was greeted with long lines of excited consumers from Australia, the United States, France, Canada, Germany, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, Britain and Hong Kong, which were picked by Apple as the initial recipients of the gadget's new edition.

All the good Apple news, experts said, should be sustained by the end of 2012 with the latest sales figures of both the iPad and iPhone contributed to more than 60 million units sold in the past six months, spanning 60 markets worldwide.