By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2010-11-01 13:49:07 | Word Count: 664
Retail giant WalMart began offering the iPad on Friday, October 15. However the discount store won’t be rolling back the price. WalMart will be selling the iPad for Apple’s set price. The cheapest iPad available retails for $499.
Only about 100 stores nationwide will initially carry the iPad, however all WalMart’s are expected to carry the device by mid November – just in time to accommodate holiday shoppers.
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News of the expansion of to WalMart leaked out months ago, when WalMart executives said they were negotiating a contract with Apple. However, the release was stalled by the iPad’s high demand and Apple struggling to keep up.
Technology giants like Apple generally butt heads with WalMart, as WalMart dictates what their products will be sold for, and if suppliers don’t like WalMart’s price, they can sell their merchandise somewhere else. This makes relations for a company like Apple, which clearly states the prices their merchandise is to be sold for (and not a penny less), difficult to say the least.
The iPad will also be available to online customers on WalMart’s Web site, however the retail giant will only be offering in store pickup – not shipment to your house. This is typical of WalMart’s Apple products, as the amount of their Apple inventory of doesn’t support an online customer base.
The iPad was released in the U.S. on April 3, and sold 500,000 units in its first week. The numbers continued to rise as Apple hit the 3 million sold mark 80 days after the iPad was released. The overwhelming demand delayed release dates worldwide.
The iPad combines the technology of a smart phone’s operating system and a laptop computer’s portability. The tablet can play movies in high definition; stream videos online, access the internet – not a mobile version, the real thing; store books and function like an e-reader; plays games; offers full touch screen functionality and can have up to 64 GB of memory space. WalMart will offer all versions of the iPad in limited quantities. The $499 version comes with 16 GB of memory and is only Wi-Fi capable.
