iPhone 3G Coming to Best Buy; Umm…
Well, the Associated Press has set the internet buzzing with news that Apple has struck a deal with Best Buy to offer the iPhone 3G in its nationwide retail stores. But wait a minute… That story sounds familiar. Where oh where might we have heard about this before almost two months ago? Oh well, we’ll let you know if we happen to remember. In the meantime, would-be iPhone 3G owners will have a third option when it comes to scoring a shiny new iPhone 3G. Beginning September 7, each and every one of Best Buy’s 986 retail locations across the country will begin selling the new iPhone and activating the handset on-site. No, you still won’t be able to snag one without a contract but that should be an option later this year if you’re willing to pay a $300 premium. So if you were having trouble deciding whether to swing by your local Best Buy or the Circuit City directly across the highway, your decision might be a tiny bit easier come September. Look for this internet buzz to happen all over again soon when Radio Shack makes a similar announcement – assuming it didn’t drop the ball during negotiations.
Best Buy is an arrogant company. I was hoping Apple would never do business with them.
Who cares, you still have to get into a contract to get one. I’m gonna wait until I can get one with out the 2 year agreement.
lol someone on engadget even mentioned how you reported this long ago
@ “So if you were having trouble deciding whether to swing by your local Best Buy or the Circuit City directly across the highway, your decision might be a tiny bit easier come September”
What an idiotic thing to say.
So, if I was not in the market to purchase an iphone, how does its availabilty at worstbuy sway me to go into their store? I would rather go into the Circuit City accross the street for better customer service.
Hopefully, they will have the next iPhone on launch day next year in ‘09.
I couldn’t agree anymore! I HATE Worsebuy, the customer service sucks and they are just wanting to take your money. They feel that we need them and they don’t need US (consumers). I have not went to Bestbuy in 3 yrs, cause of their customer service… My cousin got hired two weeks ago and he called me and said to come visit him at work…. I went to his job and pulled him out of there… The Manager followed me to the parkin lot and I told them I was his father and My son will NEVER work for this company EVER!
@james Hence the word “might”. Jackass.
@IMTHTG
You are a liar. Your cousin is an idiot. Or both. I am leaning toward the latter.
Hhh the manager asked me to leave the store because I was Talking with senior citizens.
His BS was he believed I was selling products they don’t sell in his store. Why would I want to sel stuff in your Worst Buy store?!
BTW you can get the peek squads MRI disk on pirate bay and the lates version is cracked so it never expires an best of all you don’t have to pay em $80 and put up with the poor customer service and BS to have you windows box?lap work better with a tweaked registry.
The word might has nothing to do with it. He is still suggesting the idea that people will go to worstbuy to make non iphone purchase merely because worstbuy will be carrying the iphone. There was no need to call anyone a jackass for giving their opinion that you didn’t understand Lenny.
I’ve been reading this site since the very first couple of posts were created and BG was still solo and I have to say I’ve been extremely dissappointed with the writing lately. Every other article has been bitching about “We said it first!” or “We’re right and you’re wrong blah blah blah”. It seems as if BGR has little dog syndrome and there is no reason for it. Just report the damn news and let the readers decide who is right and who is wrong. I feel as if our intelligence is insulted every time you have to “remind” us that you said it first. Just suck it up and stop sounding bitchy or arrogant. Thank you.
@Galvatron: If only you would stop the anus-speak and learn the language, idiot.
@James…. jackass
looks loke backbeat got rejected by a another girl lol
anus-speak now thats funny. Gal, so you cleaning the floors at Best Buy now too. I thought you just did Targets?
gtta go werethe money goes Targets so ghetto around here anyway
WTF! I work for AT&T and have not had any iphones in inventory to sell since the day it launched. They are not shipping any to us until the direct fulfillment process has died down. Yet the Apple store nearby got 240 phones the day it launced (to our 30), and has been consistently getting loads of inventory restocked on their shelves. We are supposed to get commission off of new lines and upgrades as well as the feature revenue (which is our bread and butter, we depend on our commission checks at the end of the month to pay rent). AT&T doesn’t have to pay Apple employees commission for any of the above. Now they are shipping phones to over 900 Best Buy locations? Give me a break, AT&T is making a ton of money and not having to pay hardly any commission to their employees. What a great way to improve their bottom line while screwing their employees (AT&T that is).
@james
“He is still suggesting the idea that people will go to worstbuy to make non iphone purchase merely because worstbuy will be carrying the iphone.”
And why not suggest that?
Care to venture an opinion why BestBuy is up 3% today, while RadioShack is down 4%, and CircuitCity is making an new ALL TIME LOW at $1.75/share, down 3%?
Let me… because getting the hottest product on the market in your store means people buy their TVs and other stuff too.
Investors know the iPhone will be low margin business, but it’s a friggin magnet for other business.
So crow all you want about your love for CircuitCity, but BestBuy’s stock is $46, and CC’s a buck away from soaping up the windows.
@Zach
RadioShack is behaving like they indeed dropped the ball you mentioned.
I’m hearing BestBuy will be the only retailer with the iPhone for the Christmas season.
I agree with ChrisNYC that this is a smart move for Best Buy to attract more customers. I think it will also help Apple and AT&T lighten their load of signing on new customers by distributing some of the volume to the over 900 Best Buy stores nationwide. It will also help Apple toward their goal of selling 10 million iPhones by the end of 2008, especially if they do a color refresh of the iPhone or do a price adjustment before the holidays.
This is gonna be a good look for Best Buy because they will be able to get more customers in their stores and also those same customers can buy accessories from Best Buy as well. I personally wouldn’t buy my iPhone 3G from them because I would want the Apple/AT&T experience and I believe there would be a problem when trying to exchange for a new iPhone 3G.
@mrHiDefinition
There probably wouldn’t be a problem exchanging for a new iPhone. Best Buy has some of the best warranties around, for an additional fee of course, lol. But with a Best Buy warranty, you bring it in and walk out with another item the same day, no questions asked. I wish I bought my Xbox 360 from Best Buy then I wouldn’t even have to worry about mailing it back to Microsoft for the red rings of death TWICE already this summer.
Returning something at BB = to having my finger nails peeled off one at a time.
@mrHiDefinition
“I personally wouldn’t buy my iPhone 3G from them because I would want the Apple/AT&T experience ”
I completely agree, but I’m in Manhattan. For all those places where there isn’t an Apple store, people will hit BestBuy.
BB just needs to be sure they put one of their better people on the task of activation, or this could get sloppy.
Ok so go find a better job.