Apple's iPad 2 now on sale at Toys R Us

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014
Apple's U.S. retail expansion of the iPad 2 continues, with the second-generation touchscreen tablet now on sale at select Toys R Us locations.



Toys R Us began advertising availability of the iPad 2 on Sunday. Its arrival came just over a week after a leaked internal document from the retailer suggested it would begin selling the iPad 2 by May.



The Toys R Us website offers a list of stores where the iPad 2 can be purchased. Currently, the device is only available at select locations across the U.S.



The leaked Toys R Us Product sheet also indicated that the official Smart Covers, Camera Connection Kit and VGA Connector will be available for sale in stores. The Toys R Us site makes mention of the Apple Smart Covers.



Sunday marks the debut of the iPad at Toys R Us. For years, the retailer has sold various versions of Apple's iPod lineup, including the iPod touch. It also sells a number of accessories that connect to the standard 30-pin dock found on iPod, iPhone and iPad devices.



Sunday's sale also coincides with a nationwide promotion U.S. retailer Best Buy is holding for the iPad 2. Best Buy has advertised availability of the device in its weekly flier, and has been stockpiling units for the promotion.







Apple has rapidly expanded availability of the iPad 2 when compared to the first-generation iPad a year ago. The iPad 2 first went on sale in the U.S. in early March, and was available at Apple's retail stores, as well as Best Buy, Target and Walmart, while late last month it went on sale at 500 Radio Shack stores.



International availability of the iPad also ramped up more quickly with this year's model, as the iPad 2 is now on sale in 25 additional countries internationally. The hot-selling device will also be available in Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and additional countries in April, Apple has said.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 46
    Smart move on Apple's part to expand iPad sales to a toy store. It's just one more thing the competition has to try and meet or exceed when trying to peck away at Apple's dominance in the tablet market. .
  • Reply 2 of 46
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    1) Being sold in a toy store doesn’t mean it’s a toy. I’m talking to you, Extremeskater.



    2) I think this is the most aggressive we’ve seen Apple market a product. Starting with the battery of pejorative digs at their competition at the iPad 2 event to the number of retail options I think more than ever they have no intention to make the iPad another iPhone, they want it to be another iPod. Monopoly!
  • Reply 3 of 46
    Predictably it will be sold out, if not already--
  • Reply 4 of 46
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    1) Being sold in a toy store doesn?t mean it?s a toy. I?m talking to you, Extremeskater.



    2) I think this is the most aggressive we?ve seen Apple market a product. Starting with the battery of pejorative digs at their competition at the iPad 2 event to the number of retail options I think more than ever they have no intention to make the iPad another iPhone, they want it to be another iPod. Monopoly!



    It's a toy to me because thats what I want it to be. I believe Apple is lucky there is no real competition to the iPad, while I was lucky to get mine the first day I was at the Apple store last night and customers are starting to get annoyed at the lack of supply.



    I think people are getting tired of hearing show up at 7am and wait in line.
  • Reply 5 of 46
    Local ToysRUs (MN) had an iPad2 poster in the window, but didn't get any stock (and isn't on the list of select stores.) Best Buy next door had no inventory, and no clue about any "stockpile" being released this AM. wtf?
  • Reply 6 of 46
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by extremeskater View Post


    I believe Apple is lucky there is no real competition to the iPad...



    Luck has nothing to do with it. Remember, this market was around for decades before Apple decided to jump it with the iPad. If you recreate a market you’re bound to have a head start.



    Here is some competition. Compared to the original Samsung Tab last year this is a great improvement, though I still question if it’s thinner than the iPad 2.
    They say 8.6mm, compared to the iPad 2’s 8.8mm, but previous images show that not to be case. In the video they do comparisons to the iPad 2 but none that show the thinness, not that it would matter since they have a protective back case on the iPad 2.



    The display panel quality looks good. One commenter states it’s PLS, which is equivalent to IPS in viewing angle. Makes sense as it’s a Samsung technology.
  • Reply 7 of 46
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by extremeskater View Post


    I believe Apple is lucky there is no real competition to the iPad...



    B-b-b-but, I thought competition was good for Apple... You know, to keep them from sucking! </snark>



  • Reply 8 of 46
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by extremeskater View Post


    It's a toy to me because thats what I want it to be. I believe Apple is lucky there is no real competition to the iPad, while I was lucky to get mine the first day I was at the Apple store last night and customers are starting to get annoyed at the lack of supply.



    I agree with Solipsism - luck has little to do with it. You are being unfair on Apple.

    Quote:

    I think people are getting tired of hearing show up at 7am and wait in line.



    No doubt - and how frustrating it must be for Apple's competitors not being able to cash in on that fact.
  • Reply 9 of 46
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by extremeskater View Post


    It's a toy to me because thats what I want it to be.



    Ok but you have to realize that for people that actually have one it is quickly demonstrating to be a lot more. IPad 2 certainly took care of many iPad shortcomings. That is not to say that iPad 2 is perfect just that it is a vast improvement over the first one.



    In any event any device is what you make of it. For some a car is a toy for others it is nothing but transportation.

    Quote:

    I believe Apple is lucky there is no real competition to the iPad, while I was lucky to get mine the first day I was at the Apple store last night and customers are starting to get annoyed at the lack of supply.



    I think people are getting tired of hearing show up at 7am and wait in line.



    Which is their own stupidity. I went looking for one and found out the local Apple store had the same issue. So took a trip to Target and had one in about 8 minutes from arrival in the parking lot. I really don't know what sort of people would wait inline like that when there are so many alternatives.
  • Reply 10 of 46
    psych_guypsych_guy Posts: 486member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    1) Being sold in a toy store doesn?t mean it?s a toy. I?m talking to you, Extremeskater.



    2) I think this is the most aggressive we?ve seen Apple market a product. Starting with the battery of pejorative digs at their competition at the iPad 2 event to the number of retail options I think more than ever they have no intention to make the iPad another iPhone, they want it to be another iPod. Monopoly!



    Apple dropped the hammer with iPad 2 and broke the competition's back, in all ways, hardware, software, usability (lighter in my hand), etc. Speaking from personal experience, I loved my iPad, but iPad 2 just feels snappier, lighter and more usable.



    Apple is now putting the hammer down from a marketing and sales perspective and trying to get them into as many hands as possible. So I agree with you. They are trying/hoping/doing to repeat the success with iPod.



    Since it is not tied to a contract like iPhone, it is unencumbered by the issues germane to that arrangement. They're free to sell to whoever can afford one and apparently there a lot of people who can.



    Rock On Apple, or wait a minute, arent' they doomed?
  • Reply 11 of 46
    frugalityfrugality Posts: 410member
    So if it's 'on sale', how much are the discounts off of normal price?
  • Reply 12 of 46
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by frugality View Post


    So if it's 'on sale', how much are the discounts off of normal price?



    While ?on sale? often does come with an implied meaning of ?discount', it can also be used to simply mean 'offered for purchase.? I would have used "Apple's iPad 2 now for sale at Toys R Us? but it?s not incorrect, just not a clear as it could be.
  • Reply 13 of 46
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    1) Being sold in a toy store doesn?t mean it?s a toy. I?m talking to you, Extremeskater.



    LOL. I was thinking the same thing.

    The iPad is no more a "toy" than a smartphone is a "toy".
  • Reply 14 of 46
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by austinpike View Post


    Local ToysRUs (MN) had an iPad2 poster in the window, but didn't get any stock (and isn't on the list of select stores.) Best Buy next door had no inventory, and no clue about any "stockpile" being released this AM. wtf?



    That doesn't surprise me. I picked up an iPad keyboard for a significant discount at Best Buy because the sign was still up from a sale that was two months old! I'm not sure how well their employees are trained about such matters.
  • Reply 15 of 46
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Psych_guy View Post


    Apple is now putting the hammer down from a marketing and sales perspective and trying to get them into as many hands as possible. So I agree with you. They are trying/hoping/doing to repeat the success with iPod.



    Since it is not tied to a contract like iPhone, it is unencumbered by the issues germane to that arrangement. They're free to sell to whoever can afford one and apparently there a lot of people who can.



    I bring that up all the time in discussions about the iPad.



    No contract makes a HUGE difference. I have a 3G iPad1 and have used the 3G for one month out of eleven. It's there if I need it, but I'm not locked into anything.



    It's a beautiful thing. If the iPhone (which I don't own because of the whole carrier thing) had the same arrangement it would be completely dominating the U.S. smart phone landscape.
  • Reply 16 of 46
    citycity Posts: 522member
    I was just in an affluent Target store. They advertised the iPad 2 today too. They had 4 Verizon ipad 2 64g. at 2 p.m Pacific and hadn't sold any yet today.
  • Reply 17 of 46
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    1) Being sold in a toy store doesn’t mean it’s a toy. I’m talking to you, Extremeskater.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by extremeskater View Post


    It's a toy to me because thats what I want it to be. I believe Apple is lucky there is no real competition to the iPad, while I was lucky to get mine the first day I was at the Apple store last night and customers are starting to get annoyed at the lack of supply.



    I think people are getting tired of hearing show up at 7am and wait in line.



    I have to admire Skater's ability to inhale his own smoke that he's blowing and actually believe what he's saying.



    Tell the universities, corporations, the elderly, the kids, the adults, and the vertical industries that they unknowingly purchased a junk kiddie product.



    Luck has nothing to do with the lack of competition against the iPad. You very well know it. Apple had years to refine and tweak the iPad before taking the chance to take it to market, against everyone's criticism (including yours) that it would fail.



    The competition had DECADES to get their act together, and the vision-less competitors are doing the exact same thing as they have in the past with the PC counterparts, introducing half-baked, low-quality, bloated products that are essentially obsolete before they are even introduced. Landfill material. Not only can they not compete due to lack of intelligence, they are whining that Apple is cornering the components market due to its success where those same folks failed for so many years.



    Don't kid yourself, every one of those folks would kill to be in the exact same position that Apple is in right now.



    Like it or not, Apple not only has the products, they have the quality, the performance, the ecosystem, the agreements, the developers, and most likely more great products in the pipeline to push the envelope even further. Competitors can't ever compete with that since it would involve too much cooperation with other folks and that will immediately spell failure. They are competing for scraps against each other.



    The only thing the competitors can hope for is for Xerox, Canon, Ricoh, and Sharp to have a fire sale on their copy machines.



    It's a seriously sad state of affairs, and it shows the utter incompetence of the PC industry to adapt to the desires of the consumer.



    Apple earned its position.
  • Reply 18 of 46
    rptrpt Posts: 175member
    Really great, more stores that disappoints its customers by not having the iPad in inventory!
  • Reply 19 of 46
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Psych_guy View Post


    Apple dropped the hammer with iPad 2 and broke the competition's back, in all ways, hardware, software, usability (lighter in my hand), etc. Speaking from personal experience, I loved my iPad, but iPad 2 just feels snappier, lighter and more usable.



    Apple is now putting the hammer down from a marketing and sales perspective and trying to get them into as many hands as possible. So I agree with you. They are trying/hoping/doing to repeat the success with iPod.



    Since it is not tied to a contract like iPhone, it is unencumbered by the issues germane to that arrangement. They're free to sell to whoever can afford one and apparently there a lot of people who can.



    This is perhaps stating the obvious, but the iPad has succeeded where netbooks failed: A low cost, lightweight, "subcompact" computer. And yet, it's more than merely a "netbook without a keyboard". Netbooks were underpowered computers with too-small screens, and too-small keyboards, basically slapped together with cheap parts. Even though it turned out to be very nicely priced, the iPad was never designed or built to be a "cheap alternative" to a full-sized laptop. On the contrary, Apple built an entirely new species of computing device*.



    Quote:

    Rock On Apple, or wait a minute, arent' they doomed?



    Yup. They're sure to file for bankruptcy any day now...



    *Yes, tablets existed long before the iPad, but either they were highly specialized stylus-based devices, with vary narrow scope/usability. Apple came along and did it right. And did it from the ground up, so, essentially, a "new species" of device.
  • Reply 20 of 46
    nkalunkalu Posts: 315member
    Smart move Apple. I hope it improves availability.
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