Following weeks of rumors and speculation, Toys R’ Us officially made Apple’s second generation tablet computer one of their newest “toys” over the weekend.
Rolling along in the massive retail expansion of the iPad 2, Apple is now pushing its groundbreaking tablet in an unlikely location, some say.
As of Sunday, select Toys R’ Us locations across the US have begun carrying the iPad 2 and various related accessories, like Apple’s metallic “smart covers.” The official Toys R’ Us website lists the locations that presently have iPad 2 stock.
In addition to Toys R’ Us, the refreshed tablet is also available at Apple, AT&T, Verizon, Best Buy, Sam’s Club, Radio Shack, Target, and Walmart.
Still, despite major PR pushes over the weekend by Best Buy and Toys R’ Us, by Monday morning, both retailers were reporting bone dry inventories.
Incredibly, many Best Buy locations around the nation went into the promotion weekend with as few as three iPad 2s in stock, further illustrating a supply shortage that continues to fall short of relentless demand.
This Wednesday, April 20th, Apple will reveal its quarterly earnings for the second fiscal quarter of 2011. Some analysts have already forecast sales of 7 million iPads in the second quarter. The iPad 2, however, was only on sale for one of the three months in the quarter for which earnings will be posted.
