BEIJING, April 6 — A video of a group of teenagers smashing up a brand new iPad has become an immediate Internet sensation, just a few days after the new Apple tablet PC went on sale.

The video posted on the popular video-sharing website YouTube shows the 499-dollar device being dropped on the floor, stamped on, thrown, and smashed with a baseball bat.

More than 500,000 people have watched the clip since it was posted online Saturday, the day when iPad made a market debut in the U.S.

According to The Los Angeles Times, the video, titled “Brand new iPad getting smashed by a baseball bat”, was made by Justin Kockott, a 19-year-old high school student.

“I wanted to be the first one to do it before other people did it,” Kockott was quoted by the newspaper as saying, “it was just something to do.”

But Kockott denied holding a grudge against Apple, saying, “I do not at all hate Apple. I love Apple, actually.”

Apple reportedly has sold more than 300,000 iPads on the first day of its availability. 

On Xinhua Web site: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/odd/2010-04/06/c_13239699.htm