Rumor: iPad 2 Mishandling Gets Best Buy Blacklisted By Apple
A reader who works at Best Buy just told us that there's been a bit of a misunderstanding between the electronics retailer and Apple. Apparently, Best Buy was holding off on selling the iPad 2s it had in stock …
Context & Ripple Effects
Best Buy has been one of Apple's most important non-Apple retail channels since its addition to first-generation iPad distribution in March 2010, and in early March 2011 the chain was reportedly training all its sales associates on iPads ahead of the second-generation launch. That investment is what makes today's report sting: an anonymous tip published by CrunchGear claims Apple has blacklisted Best Buy as an iPad 2 retailer after the chain held back stock rather than selling it.
Both halves of the claim are unconfirmed — no statement from either company, and no other outlet picked up the tip. What is confirmed this week is that Apple booked 60% of available touch panel capacity to keep iPad 2 shipments moving, meaning every unit a retailer sits on is scarce inventory Apple wants sold immediately.
First-order effects
- If the blacklist holds, Best Buy loses access to the scarcest consumer device of the spring while rival RadioShack is only now adding iPad 2 distribution, leaving Best Buy ceding shelf traffic at exactly the wrong moment.
Second-order effects
- Other big-box carriers will read the episode as a warning that Apple audits sell-through, not just shelf placement — expect tighter inventory compliance across the channel as allocation becomes the lever.
Third-order effects
- Apple's willingness to discipline its largest third-party retailer points toward a distribution model where partners are treated as extensions of Apple's own stores, with supply used as enforcement when they deviate.
The trend: Tablet distribution is consolidating under tighter manufacturer control, with scarce supply letting Apple enforce retail behavior on partners that once operated independently.