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Wal-Mart Deal to Carry iPad Confirmed

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Apr 12, 2001
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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.
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Wal-Mart will also offer online ordering for the iPad, but only for in-store pickup and not for delivery, a policy similar to that employed for other Apple products offered by the retailer.

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.

Article Link: Wal-Mart Deal to Carry iPad Confirmed
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2010/10/12/wal-mart-deal-to-carry-ipad-confirmed/
I don't like Apple products being associated with anything common.

Snobby? Probably. That's still the case though.
 
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!

jamesryanbell said:
I don't like Apple products being associated with anything common.

Snobby? Probably. That's still the case though.
Click to expand...
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
jamesryanbell said:
I don't like Apple products being associated with anything common.

Snobby? Probably. That's still the case though.
Click to expand...

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:
 
jamesryanbell said:
I don't like Apple products being associated with anything common.

Snobby? Probably. That's still the case though.
Click to expand...

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.
 
Still staying away

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.)
 
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.
 
I guess this qualifies as a Mac rumor. But I don't understand why anyone would be interested in this at all. Who cares?
 
This is great news for people who want to buy an iPad.

Glad to see them in the world's largest retailer, alongside all the other Apple products already there.

I'm a lawyer and I shop at Walmart when it's convenient to do so.

Get off your high horses, those of you who seem to think you're better than others.
 
How many people will actually go to Wal Mart and casually buy an ipad? The vast majority of Wal Mart's clientele don't have an extra $500+ in their pockets to begin with. Given that the device doesn't have a display model that people can actually put their grubby hands on I don't see it being a huge seller for Wal Mart's clientele. Even among the portion of Wal Mart's clientele that can afford an ipad, most of them aren't going to buy it at Wal Mart. Wal Mart is where they go to buy toilet paper, cheap beer, and diapers.
 
Sammy Cat said:
Dell=Wal-Mart Apple=Target
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I would think of it quite the opposite. Whenever I go into Target there aren't many people there. When I go to Wal-Mart it is usually packed, much like an Apple Store.

roratus said:
How many people will actually go to Wal Mart and casually buy an ipad? The vast majority of Wal Mart's clientele don't have an extra $500+ in their pockets to begin with. Given that the device doesn't have a display model that people can actually put their grubby hands on I don't see it being a huge seller for Wal Mart's clientele. Even among the portion of Wal Mart's clientele that can afford an ipad, most of them aren't going to buy it at Wal Mart. Wal Mart is where they go to buy toilet paper, cheap beer, and diapers.
Click to expand...

You do realize Wal-Mart is the nation's Top 2 Electronics Retailer don't you. Wal-Mart doesn't carry products they can't sell.
 
jamesryanbell said:
I don't like Apple products being associated with anything common.

Snobby? Probably. That's still the case though.
Click to expand...

I think they should close up all the Apple Stores in the malls, and move their online ordering website to a secret URL. Only people "in the know" can buy Apple products, and if you want one, you have to be friends with someone who can invite you into the club.

Then, when people see you with your iPod or iPad, they'll look on in wonder, and they'll know: you're cool. You're one of the special people.
 
Does touching and trying it out really matter much!

John.B said:
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.
Click to expand...


Yea, the same way a lot of us stood in line at an Apple Store and paid for one before touching it.....lol
 
Ovenall said:
I guess this qualifies as a Mac rumor. But I don't understand why anyone would be interested in this at all. Who cares?
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Same here, I fail to see why every other day there is something about a supermarket in the US and iPad. Sales channels have little interest here, I vote for these news to go to page 2.

Sorry to post a nag to this thread, I know I could just stay away.
 
roratus said:
How many people will actually go to Wal Mart and casually buy an ipad? The vast majority of Wal Mart's clientele don't have an extra $500+ in their pockets to begin with. Given that the device doesn't have a display model that people can actually put their grubby hands on I don't see it being a huge seller for Wal Mart's clientele. Even among the portion of Wal Mart's clientele that can afford an ipad, most of them aren't going to buy it at Wal Mart. Wal Mart is where they go to buy toilet paper, cheap beer, and diapers.
Click to expand...

Well, when I bought my iPad, I had three choices here in my city: I could go line up at the Apple Store in the mall downtown (which was the obvious answer -- most people did this, and the media had all kinds of coverage of the hours-long line-ups), or I could have gone to one of the three Best Buy locations or one of the four Future Shop locations. With the Wal-Mart deal in place, that would add another half-dozen locations that I could go to.

Same guy, same income level, same ability to pay for an iPad (or not), but twice as many options for places to buy from. It's sheer convenience for me, and an opportunity for Wal-Mart to capture some of the market away from Future Shop, Best Buy, and Apple Stores.

Then consider some of my friends from smaller towns (like Carleton Place, Ontario, 30 minutes drive from Ottawa), they've got a local Wal-Mart but no other local stores that would sell the iPad. Drive to the local store or drive "into the big city" to get one? Again, it doesn't hurt to have options.
 
At a certain point, no, touching it is irrelevant. Once a product becomes a mega hit, people will grab for a box and buy it without any further thought. Think of the people lining up the day after Christmas to grab a $29 DVD player that will basically be sight unseen.

Think this cannot happen with Apple products that are never discounted? Nope, it happens with Apple. I was in the NYC Fifth Avenue store one Christmas season, and I wanted to get an iPod Nano. They had set up a special table just to sell the Nanos, and they had a pile of them in different colors. People lined up and just said what color they wanted and handed over their credit card. Then it was the next person's turn. It was a mass of people who all wanted their iPod.

Once a product reaches the popular imagination, and everyone knows how it is, and it's something a lot of people want, you can sell 'em out of a warehouse, if that's what you want to do.

So while the iPad hasn't reached that point yet, it's on that trajectory. Selling them behind glass won't make a difference. People will buy.
 
I'm sure they'll have demo units, they do for ipods, gps devices, laptops, ebook readers, etc. They should easily be able to justify the cost for the sales. This will be a good strategic move for apple
 
Ummmmm I shop at walmart.....i seem to have 500.00

roratus said:
How many people will actually go to Wal Mart and casually buy an ipad? The vast majority of Wal Mart's clientele don't have an extra $500+ in their pockets to begin with. Given that the device doesn't have a display model that people can actually put their grubby hands on I don't see it being a huge seller for Wal Mart's clientele. Even among the portion of Wal Mart's clientele that can afford an ipad, most of them aren't going to buy it at Wal Mart. Wal Mart is where they go to buy toilet paper, cheap beer, and diapers.
Click to expand...


Q:How many people will actually go to Wal Mart and casually buy an ipad?
A: People that don't Have an Apple store around the corner that dont want to wait for Online ,

Walmart Est. about 400,000 by end of X-Mas......lol "CNN Money"
 
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