It could be a great time to be a Best Buy employee. Forbes is reporting that the electronics retailer is planning to give iPad 2s to every one of its sales associates.
Forbes said it was told by "a source with knowledge of corporate mobile device deployments" that one of the top 10 biggest retailers in the U.S. was planning to dole out the latest iPad to all of its on-floor sales people. Best Buy, because of its size and reach is "a natural match," Forbes said. The electronics retailer has 1,100 U.S. stores and is the largest electronics retailer in the country.
Best Buy has been onboard with the iPad since the first version debuted nearly a year ago. The retailer started selling the first-generation iPads along with Apple Shops at launch last April and expanded to all U.S. stores in September. Additionally, the company has already announced that it will stock the iPad 2 starting March 11, the first day that it is available. Best Buy is already advertising the updated tablet on its Web site.
Other retailers joined the iPad party after Best Buy.
Walmart picked up the device in October, and Sam's Club followed suit several days later.
But Forbes said the other iPad retailers aren't likely candidates to distribute iPads to employees "given their consumer base, product stock, and in-store sales structure." Best Buy, on the other hand, will be pushing its "Connected Store" model to more locations. It launched last fall in Las Vegas and allows shoppers to spend hands-on time with electronics, much like an Apple Store. Right now only 27 stores are "Connected Stores," but Forbes said it will probably expand.
Apple unveiled the iPad 2 at a Wednesday press event in San Francisco. The updated tablet is slimmer, includes front- and rear-facing cameras, and runs on a faster A5 dual-core processor. It goes on sale March 11.