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Wal-Mart and Apple will team to promote iPod shuffle
- Thread starter CubaTBird
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Transic said:Apple is really on a 180 these days. Going after the mainstream market is one thing, but teaming up with Wal-Mart?! They have questionable --at BEST-- business practices. They really represent capitalism at it's worst.
Its only the shuffle really. At present Wal-Mart carries other flash based players and I think Wal-Mart will only be carrying the 512MB shuffle for now.
Wonder if there will be a price advantage here.
And people were concerned that a flash player might "cheapen" the iPod brand.
Does Wal-Mart still have its own music store with songs for $0.88 US each? If so, it's strange that they'd sell a player that is not compatible with their site.
One thing's for sure, though...when your product is available at Wal-Mart, you are reaching a slightly different consumer group than the one shopping in high end malls with Apple Stores.
Does Wal-Mart still have its own music store with songs for $0.88 US each? If so, it's strange that they'd sell a player that is not compatible with their site.
One thing's for sure, though...when your product is available at Wal-Mart, you are reaching a slightly different consumer group than the one shopping in high end malls with Apple Stores.
Transic said:Apple is really on a 180 these days. Going after the mainstream market is one thing, but teaming up with Wal-Mart?! They have questionable --at BEST-- business practices. They really represent capitalism at it's worst.
I'll see it when I believe it.
X
Transic said:Apple is really on a 180 these days. Going after the mainstream market is one thing, but teaming up with Wal-Mart?! They have questionable --at BEST-- business practices. They really represent capitalism at it's worst.
Don't blame Walmart. Blame the people who shop there. Responding yet again to another inane posting.
Lacero said:
It's not only the people who shop there, it's the fact that walmart offers such inanely low prices that it drives the competition out of business, because you really can save money there. Eventually it turns into the core of a town. There's real america for you, everyone gathered round the walmart.
But Apple isn't like Wal-Marts typical suppliers, which they strongarm relentlessly to get them to lower their prices.
Apple is the company that's shown time and again that they will drop anybody from their distribution network at the drop of a hat.
Actually Apple is probably a Wal-Mart nightmare when it comes to the type relationship the want with a supplier -- aka, Wal-Mart is your god and only customer.
For Apple this is a good thing for Apple consumers, because it teams them up with somebody that'll be calling Jobs all the time and asking them to lower their prices.
Apple is the company that's shown time and again that they will drop anybody from their distribution network at the drop of a hat.
Actually Apple is probably a Wal-Mart nightmare when it comes to the type relationship the want with a supplier -- aka, Wal-Mart is your god and only customer.
For Apple this is a good thing for Apple consumers, because it teams them up with somebody that'll be calling Jobs all the time and asking them to lower their prices.
Having lived in a town where the only shopping choice within a 45min drive was a wal-mart, a rural king or a dollar general, I think this is good news, although most of the stuff i bought there was so cheap, both in price and quality, we thought of it as disposable. Glad these folks in this market have a choice for an apple product, maybe the mini is not too far behind.
I wonder how this will fit into Walmart's "everyday low prices" strategy? Or has Apple become the next Nintendo/Xbox product for Walmart? At 1/4 million units to start, I wonder what "special value" will be packaged with it to give Walmart the edge they want?
I am part of the I'll believe it when I see group... there isn't any reason for Wal-Mart to carry an iPod, as their iTunes "competition" doesn't sell music that will play on the iPod. With the run-away success of all the iPods, seems like it would be a very bad business decision to offer them in store.
However, if they DO start to sell them, I suspect that they will be $99 (or $98.88 to keep in line with other Wal-Mart products) still, but Wal-Mart will "throw in" an iTunes gift card or something like that. I doubt that Apple would want Wal-Mart to substancially undercut them on price, but if Wal-Mart can afford to give you savings via iTunes cards, then they will... They'll do ANYTHING to get you into their stores.
Rob
However, if they DO start to sell them, I suspect that they will be $99 (or $98.88 to keep in line with other Wal-Mart products) still, but Wal-Mart will "throw in" an iTunes gift card or something like that. I doubt that Apple would want Wal-Mart to substancially undercut them on price, but if Wal-Mart can afford to give you savings via iTunes cards, then they will... They'll do ANYTHING to get you into their stores.
Rob
Well, I don't shop at Wal-Mart, as the stores are dirty and some of the people that shop there scare me a little at times. So this doesn't affect me, but both of these companies are in business to make money, and if Apple thinks that this will help them make money, then they ought to do it. Having said that, I don't think that much of the clientele of Wal-Mart will be all that interested in an iPod, regardless of the price, but that is just me. We'll see.