The iPad is Coming to Walmart This Friday

News
By Jane McEntegart
published

If you've been lusting after an iPad at your local Best Buy, you'll be pleased to know that the device will now be calling out to you from the shelves of your local Walmart.

Retailer Walmart last night confirmed that it will be selling the iPad, and very soon, too. The company has said that the Apple tablet will be hitting stores on October 15. That’s this coming Friday for those of you who have misplaced your calendars.

Fortune reports that the addition of Walmart stores to the 221 Apple stores, 1,093 Best Buys and 1,743 Target branches already selling the device will bring the number of places Americans can purchase an iPad to more than 5,300. The site also notes that this is the fastest Apple has every pushed a product out to the big-name retailers. The iPhone, for example, took a year and a half to reach Walmart.

It's not exactly surprising that Apple has decided to up the ante regarding retail locations. After all, the holiday season is approaching. Indeed, the Wall Street Journal reports that, though the iPad will only be in a few hundred Walmarts at first, it will be in 2,300 stores by mid-November. What would Black Friday be without iPad stampedes?

Source: Fortune, Wall Street Journal

Jane McEntegart
21 Comments Comment from the forums
  • hellwig
    Will Wal-Mart be offering a discount? I remember with the iPhone they offered it for like 3 dollars less than retail, you know, to give them an edge.
    Reply
  • el_samky
    is only marketing.... nothing new!
    Reply
  • Strider-Hiryu_79
    It's because in the future they want the Wal-Mart door greeters to have an iPad on them to make them look cool and techy and subsequently increase the sales of iPads.

    Just imagine :

    -person enters wal-mart
    -door greeter says script "Welcome to Wal-mart. May I freaking help you?" which has now been updated to "Welcome to Wal-mart. May I freaking show you this wonderful angry F$#@$$# bird application?"
    -door greeter's crack-like addiction to angry bird on ipad kicks in as he demonstrates the ipad upon entering patrons and forgets to do his job
    -person that previously entered either becomes zombified by the ipaddedness or becomes smart and either walks away or pull a quick u-turn and gets the heck outta there

    Apple can't possibly lose with this idea now can they?
    Reply
  • burnley14
    Strider-Hiryu_79It's because in the future they want the Wal-Mart door greeters to have an iPad on them to make them look cool and techy and subsequently increase the sales of iPads.Just imagine : -person enters wal-mart-door greeter says script "Welcome to Wal-mart. May I freaking help you?" which has now been updated to "Welcome to Wal-mart. May I freaking show you this wonderful angry F$#@$$# bird application?"-door greeter's crack-like addiction to angry bird on ipad kicks in as he demonstrates the ipad upon entering patrons and forgets to do his job-person that previously entered either becomes zombified by the ipaddedness or becomes smart and either walks away or pull a quick u-turn and gets the heck outta thereApple can't possibly lose with this idea now can they?
    Man you've really been thinking about this a lot.
    Reply
  • applegetsmelaid
    Get ready for a whole new breed of Mactard.
    Reply
  • dEAne
    But next year is approaching and new tech again.
    Reply
  • fjjb
    ....but the price still the same!
    Reply
  • kelemvor4
    How does this qualify as tech news?
    Reply
  • eddieroolz
    kelemvor4How does this qualify as tech news?
    I also question the meaning of this article. iPad going to one more retailer is not worthy of news.
    Reply
  • LORD_ORION
    Oh man, I can't wait to see people of walmart iPad edition.
    Reply