Tesla launches Roadster lease program for wannabe eco-ballers
Ain’t got a hundred large to dump on a new Tesla Roadster? Fret not, as the outfit famous for producing the world’s first commercially viable electric supercar now has another option for you to ponder: leasing. For those unfamiliar, it’s somewhere in between buying one outright and swiping one while the salesperson’s not looking, and it’ll require just over $12,000 up front along with 36 payments of $1,658 in order to temporarily own the car of your dreams. Of course, that’s just a model scenario based on a Roadster with an $111,005 MSRP, though the somewhat snazzier Roadster Sport is also included in the deal. Come to think of it — if you get in on a lease now, there’s a good chance that the Volt you pre-ordered will finally be in stock by the time you bid your Tesla a fond farewell. Right, Ed?
Tesla launches Roadster lease program for wannabe eco-ballers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple serves up 10 billionth iTune, smiles all the way to the bank
Whether you love it or loathe it, there is now no way to deny the spectacular success of Apple’s iTunes Store. The proprietary digital media player, organizer and salesperson has just now recorded its 10 billionth song download, marking a truly unique achievement in the still nascent world of digital distribution. Congratulations to Apple, whose response has been to thank you all for spending so much cash and making El Steve look like the techno pied piper. Hit the source link to find out what the most downloaded songs of “all time” were… you might not be surprised by the top three, but you should definitely be horrified.
Apple serves up 10 billionth iTune, smiles all the way to the bank originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Barnes and Noble CEO describes Nook as ’single best-selling product,’ critical to success
In a conference call with investors yesterday, Steve Riggio described the Nook as a great success and the company’s best selling product. The former is predictable, but the latter is kinda weird. You typically wait to have more than one own-brand product in order to describe anything as “best-selling,” but we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he’s comparing the Nook against books published under the B&N name. It’s still disappointing that, much like Amazon, Barnes and Noble refuses to issue actual sales figures. The closest we get to that is Steve’s boast that the Nook’s release has fueled a 67 percent increase in online ebook sales — an effect that would have been even greater if the company had more stock of the device to sell. In the long term, he sees the Nook as a stimulant of traffic and sales, both in its retail and online stores, and a central component of his company’s strategy. As to the iPad? Steve skirted that question by noting that B&N ebooks are also available on PC, Mac, iPhone and BlackBerry devices. Which is good to know.
Barnes and Noble CEO describes Nook as ’single best-selling product,’ critical to success originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sony says PS3 supply will be ‘tight’ over the coming months
We’re guessing things won’t quite rise to the level of shortages since during the Wii’s heyday, but it looks like Sony is now sending a small word of caution to any potential PlayStation 3 buyers. As Joystiq reports, Sony’s senior director of corporate communications, Patrick Seybold, says that while the company is working hard to meet consumer interest, “demand is tremendously high for the PS3 and we expect tight inventory in the coming months.” As you’ll recall, this follows some surprisingly strong sales for the PS3 during the holiday season (when it outsold the Xbox 360), although console sales in general expectedly slowed considerably down in January. As with Joystiq, we haven’t yet heard any first-hand reports of the PS3 being hard to find at retail, but feel free to let us know in comments if you’re running across any local shortages.
Sony says PS3 supply will be ‘tight’ over the coming months originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Nexus One Sales Still Sluggish: Only 80,000 in First Month
It looks like sales of Google’s Nexus One haven’t really improved since we checked in on them last. According to the same Flurry mobile analytics team who estimated 20,000 sales in week one, the Nexus One at least held pace to turn in about 80,000 sales in its first month.
As compared to first month sales of the iPhone (about 600,000) and the Droid (about 525,000), sales of the Nexus One do appear to be moving along rather slowly. A lot of factors probably contribute to the relatively low numbers, key among them the lack of traditional marketing expenditure (as compared to, say, the $100 million ad campaign for the Droid) and Google’s direct-to-consumer sales approach, which, although innovative, is simply not something the typical mobile consumer is used to.
Add to that its support for 3G on T-Mobile only, reports of support problems for the device, plus reports of 3G issues — although the latter has reportedly been addressed in the latest software update.
On the other hand, we know the Nexus One won’t be the only horse Google will be backing in its bid to upend business as usual in the mobile marketplace. Motorola is already working on another direct-to-consumer device with the search giant, and the Android operating itself is starting to see impressive growth overall. So it’s not all bad news, but we can’t help but wonder how Nexus One sales compare to Google’s hopes for the handset.
What do you think: Do these sales numbers surprise you? Did you think the Nexus One would sell faster or perhaps even slower given the obstacles?
Reviews: Android, Google, add, iPhone
Tags: android, droid, flurry analytics, Google, nexus one, sales
Rupert Murdoch: Amazon now ‘willing to renegotiate’ e-book prices
You didn’t think the price hike would stop at Macmillan, did you? In today’s News Corp. earnings call, chairman Rupert Murdoch gave indication that his HarperCollins would also soon be changing its e-book prices with Amazon. As relayed by All Things D, the mogul has been unhappy with the $9.99 tier, that Apple’s iBookstore “does allow some flexibility and higher prices,” and here’s the kicker: “And now Amazon is willing to sit down with us again and renegotiate.” Nothing’s changed yet, but we gotta imagine it’s only a matter of time — not just with HarperCollins, but probably all “big six” publishers before too long.
Rupert Murdoch: Amazon now ‘willing to renegotiate’ e-book prices originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
‘Millions of people’ now own Kindles, says Amazon in its most non-vague sales statement yet
Amazon has been notoriously and aggravatingly mum on releasing concrete sales figures for its Kindle series. Last tidbit we heard was that it was the most gifted item in the retail company’s history. Or maybe there was some indication by AT&T’s note today that 1 million non-phones have been activated, which at this point includes newer Kindles, Nooks, and Sony Readers. At any rate, CEO Jeff Bezos let out the tiniest smidgen of Kindle’s sales today in its fiscal report, saying that “millions of people now own Kindles.” If we’re lucky, next earnings call we’ll get to play a “higher or lower” guessing game. Maybe.
‘Millions of people’ now own Kindles, says Amazon in its most non-vague sales statement yet originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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