Even Best Buy (BBY -0.11%) is getting into the proprietary tablet market. The consumer-electronics giant had hinted at a full-sized tablet of its own, and sources this week confirmed to Reuters that the devices are in fact coming next month.
At a rumored price point between $239 and $259 ,we're looking at a 9.7-inch Android-based tablet that's half the price of similarly sized iPad and Surface tablets. This may make it a good deal, but consumers aren't buying tablets based on price alone. If that were the case, Apple (AAPL 0.64%) wouldn't be running away with this market the way Android has taken over in smartphones.
Best Buy will have its advantages, especially since it can promote the Insignia Flex -- that's presumably the name -- front and center in its stores. Is Best Buy simply arming its shoppers with the tools to cut ties with the retailer itself forever? That's certainly a possibility, but if someone is going to wean consumers off the retailer's CDs, DVDs, and books, it may as well be Best Buy itself.
These are interesting times in the tablet space, and the week ahead may be even more interesting on that front.
Briefly in the news
And now let's take a quick look at some of the other stories that shaped our week.
- Starbucks (SBUX -0.35%) opened its first outlet in India on Friday. Will the world's second most populous nation take to the barista baron's premium brews? The lines are long now, but the real test will be how things stand in a few weeks.
- Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) moved higher after a Raymond James analyst note issued a $3 price target on the provider of networking and communications equipment.
- It was a decent quarter for eBay (EBAY 0.61%). The online marketplace and transactions giant saw its third-quarter revenue climb 15% to $3.4 billion, as its adjusted earnings moved 14% higher. It wasn't a spectacular showing, but in a week where many tech giants slipped, it was refreshing to see one bellwether hold up its end of the bargain.
