Staples briefly displays mockup Apple product pages in US
updated 03:12 pm EST, Mon January 28, 2013
Apple TV, Lightning cable offered at steep discount on removed pages
Over the weekend, office supply retailer Staples had a series of mockup Apple product pages available for viewing on its e-commerce site. While the retailer does sell Apple accessories, such as iPad and iPhone cases, the inadvertent reveal showed an Apple TV for a surprisingly low price of $50. If Staples is preparing to stock Apple products, it would be the first time the retailer would be selling the Cupertino manufacturer's hardware in the US since the Performa era in the '90s.
The presence of the Staples mockup was revealed by a tipster to 9to5Mac. Since the pages were made public, the listings have been pulled by the retailer. The third-generation 1080p Apple TV and Lightning cables were briefly available for purchase, but have since been cancelled by the company. The product page could be an erroneous auto import of vendor inventory, but could also be an indicator of a future move by Staples.
Staples sells Apple hardware in markets other than the United States. The CEO of Staples has hoped in the past that the US branch of the company would sell the iPad in its stores at one point.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: 10-29-99
Highly unlikely
Can't imagine a place that gets $10 to pair your bluetooth headset for you and $30 to install some piece of mass market retail WinTel software you just pulled off the shelf is going to want to sell stuff they can't service with their A+ techs.