Best Buy - page 7

November 7th’s turning out to be an important date for big box retail. It’s not just the day that Target’s slated to get the iPhone for the first time, but also the day that all 158 Best Buy Mobile stores will finally get the iPad.

Best Buy’s Mobile store locations are more Lilliputian Best Buys that focus on mbile electronics and are most often found in shopping malls or in congested downtown city locales.

There’s some obvious advantages for Apple pushing the iPad through as many outlets as it can this holiday season. Cupertino clearly does not want anyone to be able to fall upon the excuse of merely not being able to find an iPad or iPhone to buy a loved on this Christmas, and by selling iPads at Best Buy Mobile, Apple is able to expand its retail presence even to malls that don’t have an Apple Store.

Pretty soon, about the only excuse anyone’s going to have not to own an iOS device is sheer obstinance.

Apple’s guillotine-thin ultraportable laptop, the MacBook Air, is disappearing from shelves all around the country, as reports indicate that the low-end 1.83 GHz and the high-end 2.13 GHz are out of stock pretty much everywhere… and it may very way herald the imminent arrival of a smaller and svelter 11.6-inch MacBook Air.

The complete text of Best Buy’s launch plan for the iPhone 4 has been leaked to iClarified by an individual going by the handle of bbinsider.

The 24 page launch plan addressed to Best Buy employees includes:

• Things employees should not do during the sale.
• Details about employee purchases.
• Best Buy SKUs and pricing.
• AT&T rate and data plan requirements; Early termination fee information.
• Information about the iPhone 4 Micro SIM
• Tips on what to do with an old iPhone; Comparison between iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4.
• Comparison with other vendor offerings from Sprint and Verizon
• Etc.

The  most interesting information revealed in the document, according to iClarified, is that Best Buy will be offering pre-sales on launch day for people standing in line waiting to buy an iPhone 4:

Since inventory availability is expected to be minimal, stores may open up a limited time pre-sale window as an option for customers on launch day who have not previously pre-purchased.
– Pre-sales may only occur up to 11:00 am local time
– Customers who pre-purchase on launch day will be added to the store’s pre-sale cue based on time of pre-sale and will get their pre-sale fulfilled in priority order
– Do not provide customers who pre-purchase on launch day timing on when a device may be available

You can read the entire document and grab the rest of the plans highlights yourself here.