Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) has sold “hundreds of thousands of iPads” on pre-order, reports the WSJ, which quotes people familiar to the matter.

The vague figure could be in-line with analysts’ estimates, which guessed that first-day sales may have hit 120,000 units and that Apple sold about 152,000 over the weekend. However, with iPads still not available until the April 3 release date, it’s not clear what people are buying. The WSJ raises concerns that Apple is facing some push-back from content owners and is still frantically working on securing deals for the tablet with just weeks to go.

At a minimum, iPad owners should have access to the thousands of applications already available for the iPhone and iPod touch—it just won’t be a top-notch experience. Reportedly, Apple is still negotiating with other media companies for a price cut on TV shows that people will be able to download onto the device. To do so, Apple has had to put negotiations with newspaper, magazines and textbook publishers for the iPad on hold.