Posted on by Rahsheen on Black Web 2.0

Walmart Will Finally Sell iPads

According to WSJ, Walmart will get Apple’s iPad just in time for the holiday season. This Friday, Oct 15th, they will begin selling the iPad in “hundreds” of stores through the United States. Competitors like Best Buy have already been selling the iPad since it’s launch and Target began selling the Apple tablets just this month.

This is a good deal for Apple and Walmart. Because of the availability at Walmart, analysts now say Apple will sell 11 million to 12 million iPads this year, more than twice what was initially estimated. They should reach 20 million next year.

Walmart won’t be selling the devices at a discount, offering the cheapest version at $499 with 16GB storage and no 3G. Given Walmart’s reputation for having the lowest prices, I’m not sure this will make a difference for potential customers. The simple fact that the iPad’s will be physically available to play with and purchase will be enough to move units. While many people have heard of the iPad, seeing one in the flesh may be what pushes them to actually buy one.

The iPad will be part of an interactive display in the electronics sections alongside other Apple products. This will allow them to present themselves as a seller of cutting edge electronics hardware heading into the holidays. The iPads should fit in nicely near the plethora of cellular phones, gaming systems, and accessories.
While Walmart may be late to the game, they plan to try to catch other retailers by slowly ramping 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. This comes just in time for Black Friday.
The iPad’s will also be available to buy from Walmart’s online retail store. The only catch here is that you have to use the Site To Store feature, shipping the item to a Walmart location of your choice for pick-up. This probably won’t be a big deal for most Walmart customers as site to store is often more convenient. According to Walmart spokesman Ravi Jariwala, this restriction is common for Apple products sold at Walmart.


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