[Updates] Best Buy to Offer iPhone 3G Next Month (Try Hosted Kerio MailServer)

[Updates] Best Buy to Offer iPhone 3G Next Month
Best Buy is reported to officially have officially signed a deal to be selling the iPhone 3G in all of its U.S. retail stores beginning September 7th, 2008. The retail giant has announced today that all 965 of their stores will carry the mobile device beginning September 7th. It will become the only other U.S. [...]

Best Buy is reported to officially have officially signed a deal to be selling the iPhone 3G in all of its U.S. retail stores beginning September 7th, 2008.

The retail giant has announced today that all 965 of their stores will carry the mobile device beginning September 7th. It will become the only other U.S. retailer of the handset other than AT&T and Apple stores.

Apparently the deal could not have come at a more opportune time for the nation’s largest consumer electronics retailer, as they have recently posted slipping sales figures due to declining discretionary consumer purchases. A September sales boost could help the retailer glide into the ever important holiday season.

Jeff Dudash, a Best Buy spokesperson, has noted that the company has been working tirelessly with Apple to come to an arrangement. As many of you may have been aware, the two companies have enjoyed a partnership since the fall of 2006, when Best Buy began testing out an Apple center concept within 50 stores. After proving fruitful, the company expanded their Apple sector to reach 600 of their retail outlets.

After recently completing a nationwide expansion of Best Buy Mobile, a section within the store dedicated to all things mobile, the company is eager to begin offering the hottest selling handset on the market.

Dudash has claimed that this substantiates just how far the company has been able to bring their mobile operations.

Updates: I personally called over 12 Best Buy locations and 3 of them were able to confirm my inquiry, or say something along the lines of “Yeah, that’s the word going around here.”

“We had a lot of work to do, obviously, to get in a position where Apple and AT&T would feel good about Best Buy Mobile carrying it, and that’s what we’ve done in the last 18 months,” said Shawn Score, president of Best Buy Mobile. via Yahoo! News

Macnn was able to confirm the report.

Sources First Reported by Apple Insider

Leaked Images: Sirius-XM “StarPlayr” App Screen Shots
Both satellite radio services, Sirius and XM have had their fair share of iPhone related hype over the past couple of weeks. Applications such as uSirius and uXM have surfaced, yet hacking would be required for these to be of any use. While attempts have been made to bring these services to the iPhone, little [...]

Both satellite radio services, Sirius and XM have had their fair share of iPhone related hype over the past couple of weeks. Applications such as uSirius and uXM have surfaced, yet hacking would be required for these to be of any use.

While attempts have been made to bring these services to the iPhone, little information has been surfacing about the mysterious StreamSmart project that promises to to provide a common platform for playing Sirius-XM on multiple devices including the iPhone.

All things satellite radio website, Orbitcast, has claimed that a “covert operative” from within the Alpha developer team has leaked screen shots of what appears to be a new Sirius-XM iPhone application. Orbitcast notes that the developer of the app, GeeksToolBox has teamed up with NiceMac, due to the fact that the app is called StarPlayr, as there is mention of StreamSmart association on StarPlayr’s website.

The tip of the iceberg remains that there will be no hacking required to enjoy this application. “Two files were sent out, and the testers just need to drag them onto iTunes to install. I’m assuming it’ll be making its feature debut on the Apple Store.”

Orbitcast’s source asserts that battery life is performing well because the audio is in a native format to the iPhone. Other players that require audio conversion tend to eat up the already precious battery life.

Piper Ups iPhone Sales Estimates to 4.47 Million for Q4
Piper Jaffray analyst, Gene Munster, has recently upped his target estimate of the number expected Q4 iPhone 3G sales from 4.1 million to 4.47 million, according to a Wednesday report to clients. “Munster’s new estimate is based 1) on Apple’s report that it sold 1 million iPhone 3Gs in the three days following the device’s July [...]

Piper Jaffray analyst, Gene Munster, has recently upped his target estimate of the number expected Q4 iPhone 3G sales from 4.1 million to 4.47 million, according to a Wednesday report to clients.

“Munster’s new estimate is based 1) on Apple’s report that it sold 1 million iPhone 3Gs in the three days following the device’s July 11 launch and 2) on 25 hours of in-store checks across the United States conducted over the past two weeks.” via Fortune.

After a count of iPhone 3G sales, his team has concluded that Apple stores sold an average of 95 iPhones per day in each of its 188 U.S. stores. Combining these sales with totals from AT&T’s 2,200 outlets in addition to the number of iPhones sold internationally, Munster has landed upon his 4.47 million estimate.

Piper’s estimate may be on the conservative side as they have not taken into account the addition of 22 more countries on the 22nd of August. We have already seen reports indicating that Apple has sold over 3 million units to date, thus a 4.47 million estimate may indeed be on the low end with 51 days remaining in the quarter.

Munster adds that he anticipates the daily rate at which iPhone 3G’s are sold to decline from 95 per day to 31 per day.

[via Fortune]