IPad Inventories ‘Vary By Store,’ Best Buy Says

Inventories “vary by store,” but Best Buy “has been receiving regular iPad shipments in the U.S.” since the device launched in April, a spokesman for the retailer said Tuesday, disputing an analyst’s claim. Best Buy stores “have not gotten a new shipment of iPads in weeks,” BTIG Research analyst Walter Piecyk had said. “Some have told us that there has been no re-fresh since the initial weekend but we were not able to verify this information,” he said.

Best Buy’s Canadian and U.K. stores “also received shipments as part of the broader rollout” of the device outside the U.S. last week, the retailer’s spokeswoman said. The company is “continuing to encourage customers to contact their local Best Buy store prior to making a trip” there to buy one, she said.

The iPad isn’t being sold at BestBuy.com, only at the company’s retail stores. But all six Best Buy stores on Long Island and all five Manhattan Best Buy stores that Consumer Electronics Daily checked for the three Wi-Fi-only models were out of stock Tuesday, according to the website. Three of the five Manhattan stores had the $829.99 64-GB model, which supports Wi-Fi and 3G. But none of the Long Island stores had that model. Only one of the Long Island stores and one of the Manhattan stores had the $729.99 32-GB model, which features Wi-Fi and 3G. And none of the 11 Best Buy stores had the $629.99 16-GB model that supports 3G in addition to Wi-Fi.

Apple said Monday that total iPad sales had “topped 2 million in less than 60 days since its launch on April 3” in the U.S. The company started shipping the device in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the U.K. over the weekend. It “will be available in nine more countries in July and additional countries later this year,” Apple said. The iPad is scheduled to arrive in July in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore.

The company is “working hard to build enough iPads” to satisfy demand, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said. Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about current supplies or Piecyk’s comments.

Apple “appears to be selling more iPads than we thought even though our estimate was likely above consensus,” Piecyk said. With the new results, the company “should be able to top our estimate of 2.75 million for the June quarter,” he said. “While there might have been an initial surge, shipping delays remain at 7-10 days” when ordering direct from Apple’s website, he said. He predicted that Apple will sell 2.8 million iPads in the September quarter “as the supply becomes less constrained, new markets are launched and content developers continue to deliver additional product that takes advantage of the tablet’s strength."

Developers have created more than 5,000 new applications for the iPad, Apple said. The device can also run “almost all of the more than 200,000 apps on the App Store, including apps already purchased” for iPhones and iPod Touches, it said.