Consumer Reports again rates Apple best in tech support

By Ed Sutherland on May 1, 2013

Apple once again is rated best at providing technical support to consumers, according to Consumer Reports, an influential American magazine published monthly by Consumers Union since 1936. This year’s overall score of 86 out of 100 topped Apple’s 2012 rating, the publication announced.

Additionally, Apple’s retail Geek Bar solved nearly 90 percent of tech problems, higher than Best Buy’s lookalike Geek Squad bars. The iPhone maker produced the highest survey results, outstripping its nearest competitor, Lenovo, which scored 63. Apple’s success was due to a number of factors, according to the Consumer Reports survey… Read More

 

Samsung Experience Shops coming to 1,400 Best Buy stores to fight Apple’s retail lead

By Ed Sutherland on Apr 4, 2013

Responding to Apple’s retail lead, the South Korea based maker of Galaxy smartphones and tablets has made a major move in partnership with Best Buy, which also sells Apple products. Samsung is calling it the final component in a three-legged approach to competing with Apple in the United States. Beginning Monday, April 8, the South Korean smartphone maker will open hundreds of so-called Samsung Experience Shops in Best Buy stores across the country.

The 460 square-foot shops will be at the front of the stores, staffed by Samsung product experts. In a first of its kind move, Samsung will gather all of its products, showing how the Galaxy S4 smartphone can transfer content among the company’s smart TVs, laptops, and tablets. By June, the firm hopes to have smaller mini shops in around another 1,000 locations owned by the retail electronics giant, according to a Thursday report… Read More

 

Walmart now offering 16GB iPad mini for $299

By Cody Lee on Apr 3, 2013

Apple received a lot of criticism when it introduced its iPad mini last October for $329. Critics felt that since other 7-inch tablets out at the time, like Google’s Nexus 7 for example, were in the $200 range, Apple was crazy for pricing the mini so high.

But these days you don’t have to pay quite that much to snag the tiny tablet. Last week we saw Apple offering a refurbished version of the 16GB Wi-Fi iPad mini for $299. And today, it looks like Walmart has matched that price for a brand new one… Read More

 

Best Buy (again) has $100 iTunes gift card for $80

By Christian Zibreg on Mar 18, 2013

Retailer Best Buy is known for discounting iTunes Gift Cards from time to time, with their last offering dating back to December 2012. Today, it started selling the $100 iTunes gift card for $80, a cool twenty percent discount. Lower-denominated iTunes Cards still go for their usual prices so this promotion only applies if you’re willing to add a hundred bucks worth of iTunes credits for $80 and save $20 doing so. You can order the card at one of Best Buy’s outlets, place an order via Best Buy’s web store or have it delivered directly to your home… Read More

 

Upgrading your phone? Best Buy has a $50 gift card with your name on it

By Christian Zibreg on Feb 5, 2013

If you’re in the market for a new smartphone, consumer electronics retailer Best Buy has just sweetened the deal by throwing in a $50 gift card. The company advertised the promotion on Super Bowl so it’s kinda a big deal. First, you must sign up by Saturday, February 9 in order to reserve your $50 gift card. OF course, you won’t get it unless you purchase a smartphone with a new two-year Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile or Sprint contract between February 10 and December 31, 2013… Read More

 

Looking to buy a MacBook Air? Now is the time

By Jeff Benjamin on Jan 25, 2013

BestBuy’s Winter Doorbuster Days sale is resulting in some pretty amazing prices for the entire MacBook Air line. The Richfield, Minnesota based company has slashed the price of the MacBook Air by $200 across the board.

That means that you can score a brand new low-end 11.6″ MacBook Air for a mere $799 before tax. Even when you look at refurbished options direct from Apple, that’s the lowest price you’ll find anywhere. Read More

 

Best Buy again taking $50 off all iPhone 4S and 5 models

By Cody Lee on Jan 20, 2013

Good news for all of you folks who missed out on the holiday iPhone discounts. Best Buy is once again knocking $50 off all iPhone 4S and 5 models, regardless of model or carrier.

The limited-time sale matches some of the best prices we’ve seen on Apple’s handsets, knocking the 16GB iPhone 5 down to $149.99 and the 16GB iPhone 4S down to just $49.99… Read More

 

Best Buy accuses Walmart of hurting holiday iPhone 5 sales

By Ed Sutherland on Jan 4, 2013

Get ready to rumble! Best Buy, a gadget retailer that sells more iPhones than anyone but Apple, is charging the world’s biggest retailer Walmart with unfairly pricing the iPhone 5 during holiday.

A number of states’ attorney generals are looking into the allegation. Best Buy says it lost $65,000 a day trying to match the $150 price (later cut to $127) Walmart promoted in December.

The electronics retailer charges Walmart didn’t have sufficient supplies to fulfill its holiday promotion of the regularly-priced $199 smartphone… Read More

 

Best Buy taking 20% off all iTunes gift cards today

By Cody Lee on Dec 22, 2012

Believe it or not, Christmas is this Tuesday, meaning you have less than 72 hours to finish up your last-minute holiday shopping. Unfortunately, it’s too late to order gifts like the iPad mini or iPhone 5, as they won’t ship on time.

But there’s still plenty of time, though, to pick up an iTunes gift card. And wouldn’t you know it, national electronics retailer Best Buy is having a sale on them today, knocking 20% off all denominations between $15 and $100… Read More

 

Best Buy now taking $50 off all iPhone 5 models

By Cody Lee on Dec 10, 2012

If you’ve been looking for a good deal on an iPhone 5, look no further. Best Buy is offering the best price we’ve seen on the popular handset with a $50 discount. That means you can snag Apple’s latest smartphone for as low as $149 with a 2-year contract… Read More

 

Best Buy offering a $25 gift card with iPhone 5 purchase

By Christian Zibreg on Dec 7, 2012

Best Buy, a specialty retailer of consumer electronics, has just sweetened the iPhone 5 deal by throwing in a $25 Gift Card with every purchase. You can select any iPhone 5 model with a two-year activation on Verizon Wireless, Sprint or AT&T to receive your $25 credit. And should you choose in-store pickup, your gift card will be provided in store when the phone is activated. For online orders, Best Buy will send an electronic gift card within 3–5 days of the phone ship date… Read More

 

Best Buy ad highlights all things Apple

By Christian Zibreg on Nov 26, 2012

Consumer electronics retailer Best Buy is airing an interesting new television commercial 100 percent dedicated to Apple products found at its outlets. The ad is titled “Gifts That Do: Finding Santa” and depicts a retail employee telling a kid that he can do pretty much everything with Apple products, including reaching Santa over FaceTime… Read More

 

Best Buy is offering a $50 discount, $75 gift card on third-gen iPad, today only

By Christian Zibreg on Nov 21, 2012

With the holiday season upon us, Best Buy wastes no time and in a one-day promotion is luring would-be iPad buyers by shaving $50 off the third-generation iPad. And sweetening the deal even more, the retailer is throwing in a $75 gift card with each iPad sold. Part of its “Deal of the Day” promotion, the offer is good only for today. If you’re thinking about taking the plunge, go past the fold for additional terms and conditions you should be aware of… Read More

 

New LTE iPads hit AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and Best Buy

By Christian Zibreg on Nov 16, 2012

Cody told you earlier this morning that U.S. carrier Sprint started selling Apple’s iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad with Retina display in its retail stores. Not to be outdone by the nation’s #3 telco, carriers AT&T and Verizon announced that both Wi-Fi and cellular versions of the two tablets are now available across their retail and online stores in the United States. Additionally, we are hearing that Best Buy has the tablets and will begin selling them later today. Both carriers are offering the iPad mini and the fourth-gen full-size iPad with or without shared data service, with Sprint of course having the upper hand with its unlimited data offering (and limited 4G coverage).

The devices have also arrived in Apple’s retail outlets. Some customers who pre-ordered their units saw their shipment delivered as early as yesterday or are seeing their packages out for delivery… Read More

 

Best Buy can’t keep up with iPhone 5 preorders, report says

By Ed Sutherland on Sep 21, 2012

So, you pre-ordered your iPhone 5 the minute it was announced. Turns out, you may have better luck landing an iPhone by standing in line. The latest victim of the iPhone’s own success: electronics giant Best Buy. The company now says it may not have enough of the highly-sought handsets to meet demand, emailing some unlucky souls that they’ll need to wait up to mid-October.

“Based on current inventory allocation, we understand we will not have enough iPhone 5 devices to fulfill all pre-orders this weekend,” according to a Best Buy internal memo obtained by 9to5Mac. Read More

 

Samsung denies new Sydney store copies Apple

By Ed Sutherland on Aug 23, 2012

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. However, Samsung wants no talk of its new Sydney, Australia store looking “Apple-esque.” Particularly while the South Korean company is being sued for allegedly imitating Apple’s iPhone and iPad.

Despite the store being located just a block from Apple, using the same Apple minimalism, the same Apple-like packaging and staffed with the same blue-shirted employees, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company “didn’t even come into the equation when we were looking for a location,” Samsung Australia’s vice president of telecommunication, Tyler McGee, tells the Sydney Morning Herald. In the business, we call that a non-denial denial… Read More

 

Verizon and AT&T join Sprint in iPhone discounting

By Cody Lee on Aug 13, 2012

Earlier this month, we reported that Sprint was starting to knock $50 off of its iPhone 4 and 4S models. Then a week later, Apple started matching the discounted prices at its retail stores.

Now it looks like other carriers want in on the action. Over the weekend, discounted AT&T and Verizon iPhones started popping up in Best Buy and Target stores around the country… Read More

 

Sprint iPhone sells better at carrier-agnostic retailers than Apple Stores

By Christian Zibreg on Jun 26, 2012

Apple’s iPhone sales in the United States have traditionally been strong at Apple Stores, likely due to the superior buying experience.

A new research has revealed a little known fact, that customers pick up a Sprint version of the device at carrier-agnostic retailers more often than at Apple’s retail outlets.

It’s got lots to do with high retention rates for rivals AT&T and Verizon resulting in little switching and Sprint just not having enough existing customers to walk through the door… Read More

 

Best Buy offering the iPhone 4 for $50

By Cody Lee on May 17, 2012

It’s pretty obvious that we love our iPhones here at iDB. But we understand the handset can be a bit pricey. So we do our best to try and pass along any deals we find regarding the device.

The latest sale we’ve come across belongs to Best Buy. The international retail chain is currently offering the iPhone 4, on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, for just $49.99 with a contract… Read More

 

Best Buy sells almost as many iPhones as Apple’s retail stores

By Cody Lee on Mar 23, 2012

Back in 2008, Apple made the decision to allow Best Buy to carry and sell its beloved handset. And that choice is proving to be a fantastic one today as reports are coming in regarding the retailers’ iPhone sales.

Citing a study from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, AllThingsD reported this morning that Best Buy outlets have been selling almost as many iPhones as Apple itself… Read More

 
Page 1123