Wal-Mart Deal to Carry iPad Confirmed
16 GB Wi-Fi and 32 GB Wi-Fi + 3G iPad models at Wal-Mart store in Steubenville, Ohio
Coming after our report late last week on Wal-Mart's preparations to begin offering the iPad for sale in the retail giant's stores, The Wall Street Journal has now confirmed (subscription required) the company's plans for an official launch on Friday. As we previously noted, however, some stores are already seeing iPads put on display and stock set out for sale.
The Bentonville, Ark., retail giant said that what it lacked in timeliness it will make up for in sales heft. It vowed to slowly ramp up the number of U.S. stores carrying the iPad to more than 2,300 by the height of the holiday season in mid-November.
There will also be no Wal-Mart "rollback" price cut on the iPad: The tablets will sell for Apple's suggested retail price, which starts at $499 for the cheapest version with 16 gigabytes of storage and wireless internet access but no 3G mobile connection.
The iPad will also be featured in an "interactive display" alongside Apple's other products in Wal-Mart stores, serving to draw customers' attention to the device and demonstrate its capabilities.
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
21 months ago
I don't like Apple products being associated with anything common.
Snobby? Probably. That's still the case though.
Snobby? Probably. That's still the case though.
21 months ago
Thats how you get market share, so, suck it up! You can always buy your golden iPad or 64GB 3Gb model and differentiate yourself from the masses.
The Walmart deal is good stuff, the tablet war is coming!
The Walmart deal is good stuff, the tablet war is coming!
I don't like Apple products being associated with anything common.
Snobby? Probably. That's still the case though.
21 months ago
Wow, marketed just like Target: behind glass with no demo model. Yeah, that'll get people to buy 'em... :confused:
To be fair, I'm sure Walmart knows -- all too well -- the amount of abuse demo models would take from their clientele. It could be that the replacement cost of demo units bolted to a display wouldn't be covered from any additional impulse sales...
Still, selling a touch computer behind glass where the customer can't actually touch one seems a bit like trying to sell a car that the customer can't test drive.
To be fair, I'm sure Walmart knows -- all too well -- the amount of abuse demo models would take from their clientele. It could be that the replacement cost of demo units bolted to a display wouldn't be covered from any additional impulse sales...
Still, selling a touch computer behind glass where the customer can't actually touch one seems a bit like trying to sell a car that the customer can't test drive.
21 months ago
As I've said before, Apple is going to own the tablet market for Christmas 2010. Not everyone is interested, or can afford one, of course, but between Target, Best Buy and Wal-Mart everyone will be exposed to the iPad even if it's just a glance as they walk by.
I was in a Target store checking out their iPad display. Wasn't too much, not all that prominent, but I saw people's attention zooming in on it as they walked by. They've seen the commercials so the awareness is there. Then they notice it in person and they look closer.
The head start Apple is getting in the tablet market is amazing.
I was in a Target store checking out their iPad display. Wasn't too much, not all that prominent, but I saw people's attention zooming in on it as they walked by. They've seen the commercials so the awareness is there. Then they notice it in person and they look closer.
The head start Apple is getting in the tablet market is amazing.
21 months ago
And by the way, the iPad section in Target had lots of cases, power cables and accessories. If nothing else, they might get sales of these extra items from iPad owners who want a new case or whatever. And yes, the Apple iPad case was there too.
21 months ago
I don't like Apple products being associated with anything common.
Snobby? Probably. That's still the case though.
Just what is so special about Apple products?
You don't have to be some sort of superior being to own them. All you have to do is walk into a store and buy them. Anybody can do it and the more mainstream Apple go, the more "common" they get.
Get over it. :rolleyes:
21 months ago
I don't like Apple products being associated with anything common.
Snobby? Probably. That's still the case though.
What's the big deal? They've been selling ipods for a long time and the ipad is a mass-consumer device so why not? If you were a shareholder, I'm sure you'd feel different.
21 months ago
I don't care what Walmart sells. I'm not going in there.
(If I did - the next thing you know, I'd be the newest picture on peopleofwalmart.com)
(You know, with my blond wig with flowing locks, and my purple spandex pants and big old fu manchu moustache.)
(If I did - the next thing you know, I'd be the newest picture on peopleofwalmart.com)
(You know, with my blond wig with flowing locks, and my purple spandex pants and big old fu manchu moustache.)
21 months ago
There's one other advantage to these mega chains carrying iPads besides exposing everyone to the product wherever they live: When updates happen, and demand for the new version is high, you won't have to stand in line at an Apple store 100 miles away. You can stop by the local Wal-Mart or Target and try to get one.
Ramp up production, Apple. You have the supply chains ready for products.
Ramp up production, Apple. You have the supply chains ready for products.
[ Read All Comments ]
Our sister-site TouchArcade notes that Chillingo's excellent physics puzzler Feed Me Oil is free today for both the iPhone and iPad. It's normally $0.99 for iPhone and $1.99 for iPad....
Several years ago, Comcast began instituting bandwidth caps of 250GB per month on its residential customers. In 2008, this was plenty for most customers, but with the advent of streaming video...
Reuters reports that China Mobile Chairman Xi Guohua has once again publicly stated that the world's largest mobile phone carrier is engaged in talks with Apple about offering the iPhone to its...
Apple has filed a motion to dismiss in a case filed by customers over alleged misleading advertising depicting the Siri technology in the iPhone 4S. The lawsuit, filed in March, alleges that...
The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ASCI) today released its latest rankings of customer satisfaction in the United States for mobile phones and a number of products and services, with the new...
