For those with some kind of allergic reaction to Apple's main retail stores, take notice: The company's flagship tablet, the iPad, has jumped ship to yet another retailer in the United States… and it's a big one.
Target—starting today—is the largest chain of brick-and-mortar stores to sell Apple's iPad, and it joins Best Buy as one of only two non-Apple retailers that actually sell the device, period.
There's nothing too fancy about the announcement, however, save for the fact that Apple is ever so slowly diversifying the places you can pick up its products. The same six models of iPad at Target are available for the same six price points that you'd otherwise find at an Apple store itself.
Although, there is one interesting caveat in terms of what you can actually purchase through Target. For starters, no iPads are on sale via the company's retail web site—all iPad purchases must be made and picked up in-store only. Yet, a number of iPad accessories are sold via Target.com instead of actual Target retail locations.
Target is hoping to bolster its holiday sales by using the iPad as a hook to drive more feet into its retail establishments across the United States. And given the relatively high demand for the device—sales estimates hover around 3.27 million units for the iPad's first three months of existence—it's certainly possible that "iPad fever" could work in Target's advantage.
"We hope to sell a lot more later this week, once people are more aware that we carry it," said Chetna Parikh, a Target electronics team member, in an interview with the Associated Press.
Analysts estimate that total iPad sales could jump to 21 million units in 2011.
No comments:
Post a Comment