AT&T selling iPad accessories for 50% off, iPad 2 coming soon?
We have received a couple tips that AT&T corporate stores will start selling all Apple iPad accessories for 50% off beginning February 13th. Our tipsters note that AT&T usually doesn't clearance items unless a replacement is imminent.
Context & Ripple Effects
AT&T has spent early February 2011 blanketing customers with promotions — rollover-minute bonuses, free calling to any US mobile number, and 'Answer' ads attacking Verizon's iPhone on simultaneous voice-and-data — so a broad accessory clearance fits an operator working hard on loyalty and traffic. The stakes on the tablet side are real: AT&T said back in September 2010 that half a million iPads were using its network, making it Apple's primary US 3G carrier for the device.
The 50% off sale at corporate stores starting February 13 is confirmed, but the reason behind it is only rumored: BGR's tipsters argue AT&T rarely clears accessory stock unless replacement hardware is imminent, pointing toward an iPad 2 launch.
First-order effects
- Shoppers at AT&T corporate stores can buy all Apple iPad accessories at half price beginning February 13, with the carrier eating accessory margin to empty shelves.
Second-order effects
- If the tipsters' read is right and an iPad 2 lands soon, AT&T will need fresh accessory assortments and launch-day inventory in place, while Verizon's newly arrived iPhone keeps both carriers competing on perks rather than price alone.
Third-order effects
- Carrier retail behavior is becoming a public signal of Apple's upgrade cycle: clearance timing leaks launch schedules before any announcement, turning store inventory management into de facto product-cycle news.
The trend: As Apple's tablet moves onto an annual refresh rhythm, carrier accessory clearances are emerging as an unofficial countdown clock for each new model.