O'Grady's PowerPage

Category: retail

  • Best Buy lowers third-gen iPad price by $50, throws in $75 gift card for Black Friday promotion

    Ok, this is nifty.

    Per AppleInsider, retailer Best Buy has dropped the price on 32GB and 64GB 3rd-generation WiFi iPads with Retina Display, and is also throwing in a free US$75 Best Buy gift card with each purchase.

    As of press time, Best Buy had only white 32GB (US$549.99) models and black 64GB models (US$649.99) remaining. In addition to the US$50 price drop and $75 Best Buy gift card, each order ships free.

    Although Best Buy’s iPad overview page for the 32GB Black WiFi iPad 3 indicates it is sold out, the specific product page for that model still allows your to add it to your shopping cart and says orders will leave the warehouse in 1-2 business days.

    If you’ve seen any nifty Mac deals for this holiday weekend, please let us know in the comments.

  • Apple posts Black Friday teaser

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    Following the gluttony, there’s the shopping.

    And the savings.

    Per Mac|Life, Apple has started teasing its one-day shopping event this Friday, November 23, which is better known as “Black Friday,” a post-Thanksgiving tradition coined by retailers who hope to get their balance sheet into profit for the year at the beginning of the holiday season.

    “Get ready to give,” the Apple teaser webpage reads. “Start shopping online after midnight PST or visit your favorite Apple Retail Store during our extended hours. We’ll help you make the most of the day, no matter how you shop.”

    Unlike other retailers, Apple won’t be opening its doors at midnight, but they will be offering extended hours at brick-and-mortar locations across the country. Apple discounts are historically quite stingy on Black Friday, but hey, even 10 percent off that gadget you’ve had your eye on might be worth it.

    As always, if you see any killer deals on Apple stuff this Black Friday, please let us know via e-mail or the comments and we’ll do what we can to post it.

  • eBay launches Apple certified refurbished products storefront

    This could come in handy.

    Per AppleInsider, eBay earlier this month introduced a new section to its website dedicated to Apple certified refurbished products, including numerous iPads, MacBooks and iPod touches.

    The company’s new Apple Certified Refurbished Product store currently lists a variety of MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iPad and iPod touch products. The online retailer and auction house says each product has passed through the same quality inspection as those refurbished products available on Apple’s own online store, and each comes with the same full one-year warranty. Additionally, all iPads and iPods include a brand new battery.

    For example, an Apple-certified, third-generation, Wi-Fi-only iPad with 32 gigabytes of storage can be had for US$469. And a 15-inch MacBook Pro with a 2.4-gigahertz processor, 4 gigabytes of RAM and a 750-gigabyte hard drive is US$1,699.

    If you’ve tried the new storefront and have any feedback to offer, please let us know in the comments.

  • LTE iPad mini, fourth-gen iPad now available in retail stores

    You’ve been hankering for one of these since they came out.

    And now they’re on sale.

    Per CNET, Apple’s LTE-equipped iPad Mini and fourth-generation iPad are now available in carrier stores.

    Wireless carriers Sprint and AT&T announced today that they’re now carrying the devices. Verizon hasn’t announced its own availability, but the company is also expected to also be carrying the tablets in its stores today.

    Apple launched the Wi-Fi-only fourth-generation iPad and iPad Mini on November 2. The company had promised last month when it announced both devices that it would deliver the LTE-equipped models “a couple weeks” after the Wi-Fi-only model. Apple has made good on that promise, despite reports suggesting it might not.

    Customers looking to get their hands on the new iPads might want to act quickly. Sprint says it expects “limited quantities” to be available in its stores. Given the strong demand for nearly all Apple products, that will likely be the case at other carrier stores, as well.

    The iPad Mini LTE comes in black and white versions, and will range in price from US$459 to US$659. The fourth-generation iPad with LTE starts at US$629 and goes up to US$829.

    If you’ve snagged the LTE iPad mini and have any feedback to offer, please let us know in the comments.

  • Thieves snag two pallets, $1.5 million in iPad minis from JFK airport

    Because Pauly wanted a new iPad mini and to make a few bucks on the side…

    Per the New York Post, a pair of thieves stole $1.5 million worth of Apple iPad minis from a building at New York’s JFK airport that was also the site of a famous robbery in 1978.

    Details of the valuable heist were revealed on Thursday by the New York Post. About 3,600 iPad minis that had just arrived from China were taken from one of the airport’s cargo buildings.

    That same building was the site of the 1978 Lufthansa heist in which US$5 million in cash and US$875,000 worth of jewelry were stolen — the largest cash robbery to ever occur on U.S. soil. That heist was featured in the 1990 film “GoodFellas” starring Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci.

    The incident occurred on Monday, just before midnight, when a pair of thieves reportedly used one of the airport’s own forklifts to steal two pallets of iPad minis. Not all of the shipments were placed on the truck, as the arrival of an airport worker allegedly forced the duo to leave three pallets behind.

    Because the thieves arrived with an official JFK forklift, it’s been speculated that an airport employee may have let them into the area near Building 261 around 11 p.m., and also let them out after the iPad minis were stolen.

    Apple’s iPad mini has a starting price of US$329 for a 16-gigabyte Wi-Fi-only model. The most expensive option is the 64-gigabyte version with cellular data, which sells for US$659.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.