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Walmart selling new iPad before Apple: Friday 12:01 a.m.

Erica Ogg — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 20:10:59 +0000

Updated. If you can’t wait until 8 a.m. to get your hands on the new iPad, Walmart has some good news for you: the retailer says that its stores will open at 12:01 a.m. local time to sell the new iPad on Friday morning, March 16.

Walmart is cautioning that “a limited supply” of Apple’s third-generation iPad will be for sale at each store. It looks like only the 16GB Wi-Fi model (in black or white) will be available, as well as the iPad 2. (Update: I asked Walmart to clarify which models they will be selling, and a Walmart spokesperson is now saying that “specific model availability varies by store.”)

Apple stores in nine countries will be selling the new iPad beginning at 8 a.m. local time Friday morning. In the U.S., AT&T, Verizon, Best Buy, Sam’s Club and RadioShack will also be selling the new iPad.

Of course, if you’d rather not jostle with other iPad seekers standing in line, you can always order one online.

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Want an iPad 2 on March 11? Be in Line Early

Charles Jade — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 20:21:19 +0000

Around 6 a.m. on April 3, 2010, prospective iPad buyers began lining up at the Apple Store in Durham, N.C., with similar lines forming at other Apple Stores across the U.S. as early as the day before. Nearly a year and around 20 million iPads later, it appears history is about to repeat itself with the iPad 2 launch.

Today, DigiTimes is reporting Apple has ordered some 40 million iPads for 2011, including 10 to 12 million for the second quarter, and 6 to 6.5 million this quarter. Of those shipping in the first quarter, the iPad 2 will account for some 2 to 3 million units. Setting aside the questionable accuracy of DigiTimes, the cause it cites for supply problems — display yields — was echoed by Goldman Sachs analyst Bill Shope.

Shope, citing his own sources (via AppleInsider) in a research note, asserted that the “iPad 2′s ultra-thin glass screen is generating yield issues,” though he also said it was more of a “process problem,” and improving upon the process could see “volumes ramp fairly quickly.” It should be noted Shope accurately, if vaguely, predicted details of the iPad 2.

If those reports seem an insubstantial basis for predicting shortages of the iPad 2 at launch, consider the details of the launch itself. Like the original iPad launch, the iPad 2 will be sold only in the U.S. While the international launch is scheduled for more than two dozen countries on March 25, there are, as of yet, no details on how to buy an iPad 2 at international Apple Stores. Instead, eager visitors find just a “Notify Me” button for joining an e-mail list.

While the U.S. store does list buying details, the big difference from last year is that there is no pre-order option. Though Apple never announced specific pre-order-only numbers, 300,000 iPads, including pre-orders, were sold on launch day. It’s certain that total will be exceeded this year, since the iPad now has a proven track record and a stellar reputation, meaning the pressure on local Apple Stores and retail partners like Best Buy, Walmart, and Sam’s Club will be intense. Further, the iPad 2 will not go on sale until 5 p.m. EST, which means the line will be growing over the course of the entire day, with a big push towards the end as people leave work early to get in line.

While Apple Stores will have the longest lines, they will also have the most stock. Expect Apple’s retail partners to get shorted on units, and there’s no word on whether AT&T and Verizon stores will have any new iPads at all. Especially if you want the 16 GB Wi-Fi model, which is the most popular model, be at an Apple Store as early as possible.

Now is the time to decide whether instant iPad 2 gratification on March 11 is worth the wait in line. If so, plan on making a day of it. It’s what the 10-hour battery of your current iPad is made for.

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Walmart Retail Gets iPad Oct. 15, Available Online Now

Darrell Etherington — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 16:00:37 +0000

U.S. retail giant Walmart has confirmed that it will be offering the Apple iPad at hundreds of its stores beginning Friday, Oct. 15. Despite a relatively small initial launch pool, by the time Black Friday rolls around in November, that number is expected to grow to 2,300 nationwide.

Walmart confirmed the news Monday evening, following rumors circulating last week that it would start carrying the iPad sometime this week. All six iPad configurations, including both Wi-Fi and 3G + Wi-Fi models, will be on sale at the Arkansas-based big box retailer.

You don’t have to wait until this Friday to make a purchase at Walmart, though. According to some sources, the iPad is already appearing on shelves in some stores next to the iPods that are already there. Also, you can order a few models of the iPad online through Walmart’s online store, though the only shipping option available is site-to-store. At the present time, only the 64GB iPad with Wi-Fi, and the 32 and 64GB iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G are available for online order, with the rest showing “Out of Stock.” It’s likely the cheaper models are being reserved for in-store sales, since they’re much more likely to be bought off the shelf.

Walmart joins Target and Best Buy, both of which began selling the iPad as major national third-party chains to offer the iPad for sale. Apple is clearly keen on making sure that it has as wide a retail base as possible going into the holiday shopping season, especially now that it seems to have resolved the supply chain limitations that kept its popular tablet sold out at many locations following its launch.

The iPhone first went on sale at Walmart in December of 2008. Apple reported its best quarterly revenue and earnings ever for the quarter ending Dec. 27, 2008, including quarterly iPhone sales of 4,363,000, which marked 88 percent growth compared to the same period the previous year. Obviously, Walmart wasn’t the only reason for the spike in sales, as the iPhone was steadily growing in popularity before it became available there, but increased retail presence at one of the largest chains in the U.S. couldn’t have hurt those numbers.

Availability at Walmart, even in limited quantities (sources report only five per store at launch) will help ensure there’s an iPad under as many trees as is realistically possible this holiday season.

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Walmart Slashes iPhone 3GS to $97

Christopher Ryan — Tue, 25 May 2010 19:07:12 +0000

If there’s even been a more sure sign that new iPhones are coming in the immediate future, it’s the fact that Walmart slashed the price of Apple’s iPhone to $97, representing a savings of $100 if you’d purchased it from them last week.

Is this a result of new iPhones around the corner? Does Walmart still have a significant inventory of iPhones to sell off? Looking back a few years ago, Walmart was one of the first third-party distributors outside of Apple and AT&T to offer the coveted iPhone for sale.

With such a huge savings, one can’t help but speculate that a new iPhone is coming in the next few weeks and Walmart plans to have plenty of room to sell it.

The 16GB iPhone 3GS still carries the requirement of activation and a two-year service contract with AT&T. Couple this with AT&T’s recent increase in its early termination fee means that while this phone is a great value, it’s still going to be a while before you can upgrade to whatever Apple announces at WWDC in a couple of weeks.

Still, this could be a good value for some who may not wish to upgrade, who are dissatisfied with AT&T or who may not see any appeal in the rumored fourth generation iPhone. AT&T certainly hasn’t brought tethering to its customers and if the new iPhone does sport a front-facing camera, I get a sneaky vibe that the cost of the unlimited data plan is going to go up.

Walmart’s price for the 32GB iPhone remains unchanged at $297. Historically speaking, larger capacity devices tend to be the best sellers. Undoubtedly, the lower price on the 16GB iPhone 3GS will cannibalize sales of the larger iPhone, so it’s likely that Walmart’s stock of the smaller iPhones is very plentiful, compared to the 32GB version.

Adding to this news are rumors of a new iPhone around the corner is that Apple has slowed or stopped shipments of iPhones to its third-party vendors. Steve has something up his sleeve for week after next and Walmart intends to be ready.

Can you hang on two more weeks to see the new iPhone? Or is it time to upgrade your original phone to an iPhone 3GS for less than $100?

Amazon, Wal-Mart Follow Apple’s Lead, Introduce Variable Pricing

Darrell Etherington — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:15:48 +0000

It was a sad day this past Tuesday for almost everyone except the record labels when Apple put in place the variable pricing scheme they’ve been promising since announcing their entire library would be going DRM-free. At the very least, many thought they could take refuge in the safety and comfort of iTunes rivals Amazon and Wal-Mart, both of whom also run digital music sales outlets, and both of whom had suddenly become a much better value proposition in the face of the changes.

Sadly, no e-tailer turned out to be safe. Both Amazon and Wal-Mart introduced their own variable pricing schemes shortly after Apple’s went live. This was literally hours after a friend recommended switching to Amazon, since it now presented a better deal. Amazon is now offering some of its best-selling tracks at $1.29, and some at the low end for 79 cents, while the overwhelming bulk of their catalog still goes for 99 cents. True to their lowest price guarantee, Wal-Mart’s standard price point is 94 cents, with some top sellers now going for $1.24, and a few bargains at 64 cents.

The changes across the board signal an industry-wide trend, and show that Apple was not alone in negotiating a new pricing arrangement with the record labels. It’s especially noteworthy that the same tracks don’t necessarily cost the same in each store, with Apple having more songs in the top-tiered price range than either of the other two.

Both Wal-Mart and Amazon had already been selling music DRM-free, suggesting that the recording industry’s goal with dangling the DRM-free carrot in front of Apple was to pave the way for price hikes across the board. Now that that barrier is gone, expect to see digital music prices creep to the point where they more closely resemble what you’d pay at brick-and-mortar stores.

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Apple is #1 (in music)

Jethro Jones — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 20:42:36 +0000

Ars Technica is reporting that the NPD Group’s numbers are out! Apple is the number one distributor of music. They sell more music than anyone else, well, besides those “others” who are always throwing a wrench in the plan.

Credit: Ars Technica

Apple was in third place in just June of 2007. They have been steadily climbing upward since then. Amazon.com is in 4th place, even with their cheaper, higher quality, DRM-free music.

It seems that now would be a dangerous time for Apple to make many changes to their business model. Doing anything that is not “fair” to competition could land them in hot water. Being number one is a dangerous, yet good place to be.

I would say that if Apple does pursue the subscription music model now that they are number one, eMusic is likely to sue them for anti-competitive practices. Being number one will hurt Apple more than anything else right now. When they were number two, they could always claim they were just trying to carve out their share. Now, any increase or change in practices could easily be seen as squeezing more out of everyone else.

Update: Apple officially announced that it was the number 1 retailer in online music today. Money quote:

“We launched iTunes less than five years ago, and it has now become the number one music retailer in the world,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes. “We are thrilled, and would like to thank all of our customers for helping us reach this incredible milestone.”

In other words, “Thanks, iTunes users for lining our pockets!” Congrats to Apple.

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