Radio Shack in a terse notice today said it would begin selling the iPhone 3G and 3GS in its retail stores later this month. The initial rollout is small and will be limited to certain company-run stores in the Dallas/Fort Worth area as well as in New York City. Expansion to all of its stores isn't expected until 2010.
Radio Shack is planning to kick off its rebranding to The Shack with the first planned price drop for the Palm Pre. Unlike Best Buy's accidental price cut last weekend, an internal memo shows the smartphone temporarily dropping to $150 for new Sprint subscribers beginning today and ending on Sunday. The deal needs at least a $70 Everything Data plan or higher.
T-Mobile's US division took a minor blow on Thursday with word of muted results for its just-finished spring quarter. The cell carrier's growth slowed to add just 325,000 total customers, less than half the gains of 668,000 a year ago. Its churn rate, or the number of old customers replaced with new ones, also climbed from 1.9 percent in spring 2008 to 2.2 percent today. Most of the shortfall is pinned on a higher number of subscription customers leaving T-Mobile and fewer signing on.
Radio Shack today teased a major rebranding of the company that signals a greater push into the same space as general electronic chains like Best Buy. Also supported by a leak stemming from Engadget, the store name should just be shortened to "The Shack" and will see the entire store network reflect this in displays this week and for signs by the end of the year. Under this change, only the corporate infrastructure would still retain the old naming scheme.
(Updated with Best Buy response) Best Buy this weekend quietly cut the price of the Palm Pre to $100 when paired with a two-year contract. The discount slashes the multi-touch smartphone's cost in half and comes less than two months after the phone was released. No explanation has been given for the move, including whether or not the new price is permanent or a temporary sale.
Pacific Crest analyst James Faucette today said that Palm Pre sales are still healthy over a month after the phone launched. Referring to his own checks, he estimates that about 40,000 of the multi-touch phones are now shipping each week and that the numbers could hold through at least August. He also expects that sales could improve if Palm can improve its shipments to Best Buy and Radio Shack, which have had short supply ever since launch.
Sales of the Palm Pre have cooled off to where supply is keeping up with demand, JPMorgan analyst Paul Coster said in an investment note today. He believes that about 270,000 Pres will have shipped in the first month of sales but that waiting lists have largely been reduced, revealing a near-ideal balance in what Palm ships each day. About 40,000 of the smartphones are estimated to now ship each week through Sprint directly, while more should also arrive through Best Buy and Radio Shack.
Estimates by JPMorgan analyst Paul Coster published on Friday suggest that Palm may have already doubled its shipments of the Pre. Earlier predictions had Palm shipping as many as 55,000 units, but Coster concludes through studying retail activity that Palm has already shipped another 50,000 of the smartphones in less than a week. Many Sprint stores have received between 10 and 15 more phones every two days, while Radio Shack has also received an update. Unusually, Best Buy appears to have received none extra since the June 6th date.
(Updated with photos) Sprint today officially started sales of the Palm Pre, its first multi-touch phone and what's been regarded as the most direct contender with the iPhone. Initial reports of stock sent to Electronista vary and show that both supply and demand vary heavily depending on the region: Sprint stores, particularly in major cities like New York, have relatively large supply of as much as 100 or more. However, third-party stores like Best Buy and Radio Shack have relatively much smaller supply and little to no queuing.
Sprint may drop its controversial mail-in rebate for the Palm Pre in a bid to keep customers. A contact within Sprint said late Thursday that there are "minor rumblings" within the carrier that could switch the $100 mail discount to an instant rebate. The move is said by Palm Goon to be a reaction to pricing at Best Buy and Radio Shack, both of which are already promising an immediate discount to sell their Pres at $199.
Best Buy's limited stock of Palm Pre devices has been discovered to be evidence of a much more pronounced shortage. An internal company launch guide obtained by BGR warns that Best Buy Mobile stores will have to manage the release in two phases. The company expects the first phase to be characterized by extremely limited supply until at least late July and that there will be "little or no replenishment" for the first few weeks.
AT&T is about to expand its netbook tie-ins to include the 10-inch Acer Aspire One, according to a leaked memo. A source passing on the note to BGR says that at least Costco will be selling a version of the portable with 3G ready to be used with AT&T's network. Other details are unclear, but the systems are likely to have some of their cost subsidized and also to sell at AT&T stores.
As hinted at in a leaked flyer, Radio Shack tonight rolled out a special version of the Acer Aspire One with built-in 3G data. The all-black model holds a built-in HSPA modem that lets it connect to AT&T's network for Internet access when Wi-Fi isn't an option. The system itself sites at the higher end of Acer's spectrum with 1GB of memory and a 160GB hard drive bolstering the by-now standard 1.6GHz Atom chip and Windows XP Home.
A new TomTom personal navigation device, the GO 630 GPS, is available exclusively at electronics retail chain Radio Shack. The device features complete map coverage of the US and Canada, along with compatibility with TomTom's MapShare software that lets users update or customize their own maps or download ones from other users via TomTom HOME. This access also lets users get traffic updates on their PCs.
As Apple continues to expand the retail distribution of the iPhone 3G, a new report indicates that Walmart may be the next retailer to begin selling the quickly=growing smartphone. While previous rumors have suggested that Radio Shack may also carry the device, BGR indicates that Walmart, the largest retailer in the world, may start carrying it as soon as November 15th. Rumors that Radio Shack would begin selling the iPhone surfaced just before the iPhone 3G launch in July, and subsequent trials for Apple-like designer stores bolstered their credibility; however, the report indicates that talks with the electronics company may be faltering.
Radio Shack is experimenting with stores that will closely follow the designer look of Apple's locations, according to an investment note by Deutsche Bank analyst Mike Baker. While not describing the stores visually, the researcher says the electronics shop will try out three stores that mirror the "look and feel" of Apple's stores and will focus more closely on cellphones, carrying touchscreen devices from AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. The stores would appear in non-mall, upscale locations.
Apple may yet allow American sales of the iPhone 3G beyond AT&T stores and its own retail outlets, a rumor suggests. BGR cites someone it calls a reliable source, who indicates that Apple has already secured deals to sell the iPhone at Best Buy and Radio Shack locations. The source cannot, however, say whether such sales will begin as soon as July 11th, or if they are only part of a long-term plan.
