Click the photo for more pics of last year's iPhone launch.
(Credit: James Martin/CNET)This post was udpated with information about AT&T store hours at 3:45 p.m. PDT.
Apple offered clarification Wednesday for when exactly the new iPhone 3G S will go on sale.
Though Apple Senior Vice President of Marketing Phil Schiller said during his keynote speech at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference that the phone will first be available in the U.S. and seven other countries on June 19, he didn't offer a specific time. The 3G S will go on sale starting at 8 a.m. (in all time zones) next Friday. We know that many stores will open early that day for the occasion.
AT&T Stores will open even earlier, at 7 a.m., just for those who have pre-ordered an iPhone 3G S from the carrier. Those who haven't will have to wait outside AT&T stores until 8 a.m. with the rest of the public.
As usual, we'll be following iPhone sales in various time zones. Will Apple fans stand in line for the third straight year? We'll find out. In the meantime, click the photo above for a gallery of very committed line standers from the 2008 launch of the iPhone 3G.
Circuit City Stores announced Monday it plans to close 155 stores and lay off 17 percent of its workforce in the U.S., as it aims to restructure its business amid a tightening credit market and downturn in business.
Over the past few weeks, the retailer's financial health has become more dire and, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal, was considering restructuring moves as a means to avoid a Chapter 11 reorganization bankruptcy filing.
(Credit:
Circuit City Stores / Richard Cadan Photography)
The struggling electronics retailer noted in its announcement that not only have its sales dropped amid an economic slowdown and loss in consumer confidence, but also its suppliers have begun cutting back on the level of credit they are extending to the retailer.
"The current mix of terms and credit availability is becoming unmanageable for the company," Circuit City noted in its announcement.
That cutback by suppliers comes at a critical time for Circuit City, as it heads into the holiday buying season when it wants to replenish its stock with the popular items.
The company plans to begin a liquidation sale at its 155 stores targeted for closing (PDF) on Wednesday and is expected to continue the sale through the rest of the year.
Circuit City also plans to scale back plans to open new stores to two from 12 in the current fiscal year and suspend all store openings for 2010. The company will continue to operate in 153 U.S. markets and overseas, but will be exiting 12 U.S. markets as a result of the restructuring.
Other woes for Circuit City include a potential delisting of its stock from the New York Stock Exchange. Last week, the NYSE warned the company its stock price had fallen below $1 for 30 consecutive trading days, a trigger point for a potential delisting.
The NYSE warned the company on Oct. 24 and Circuit City has 10 days to resolve the issue. One common means that companies use in this situation is a reverse stock split, in which investors who hold a certain number of shares can swap them for a single share in the issuer's stock. For example, 10 shares of stock trading at 50 cents each would become 1 share that trades at $5 a share.
Get your HD DVDs while you can.
The largest big-box electronics retailer in the U.S. looks to be clearing its HD DVD disc inventory. TG Daily reports that a Best Buy in Dublin, Calif., has all of its HD DVD movies on sale for $9.99, and all HD DVD TV shows for 70 percent off.
A Best Buy in Dublin, Calif., blows out its HD DVD stock at $9.99 each.
(Credit: TG Daily)TG Daily also checked Best Buy stores in Chicago, and in one case, HD DVD movies were nowhere to be found. Upon further questioning of employees, it was discovered that HD DVDs could be bought from the inventory in the back for 30 percent off. But not for long, as that particular store said it plans to send all of its inventory back to the manufacturers.
Toshiba was the leading producer of HD DVD players, but said in February it planned to cease production of them. That was just after all of the major Hollywood studios went Blu-ray only. So, this news isn't surprising as much as it is fortunate for HD DVD owners still licking their wounds from the recently concluded format war.
Dell plans to begin selling desktop PCs in Wal-Mart Stores in the next few weeks, the first move in a major departure from its decades-long sales strategy.
Wal-Mart plans to sell the Dimension E521 in more than 3,000 retail locations in the United States, Samir Bhavnani, research director at Current Analysis West, told CNET News.com.
UPDATE, 5/24 7:15 a.m. PT: Initial word was that the Dell PCs would go on sale this weekend. A representative for Wal-Mart on Thursday morning said that the PCs are slated to be in stores on June 10, with two models each offered in a bundle priced below $700. Details on the PCs were not provided. Sam's Club and Wal-Mart Canada stores will carry different models.
(Original post continues.) "Finally, Dell has addressed one of its main problems by giving customers a chance to touch and feel its products," Bhavnani said. "Dell's going to be touching a lot of people who weren't necessarily looking to buy a PC."
The move follows a pronouncement by founder and CEO Michael Dell that the PC maker would be making a major push in commercial reseller and retail channels. Dell, which has long relied on direct sales, had flirted with retail before, but it had no specific programs for training and technical support to offer resellers.
Dell announced earlier this month that it would begin providing many programs and strategies to help resellers move the Round Rock, Texas, company's products.
"I think you'll see Dell showing up in a lot more retail locations--not only here in the U.S. but also in major countries around the world over the next several quarters. So stay tuned," Dell said in an interview with CRN.
To see CNET News.com's analysis of the retail maneuver, see "What Wal-Mart means to Dell."
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