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Four out of ten IT professionals would buy a tablet, but would you?
Macworld is reporting that their partner Network World recently did a poll and came up with the figure of four out of ten Network World readers willing to buy a tablet on day one sight unseen. That's an interesting result (and it's not the only one seen along those lines), but I want to know what you TUAW readers think. We've got a pretty good group of professionals, "pro-sumers" (ugh, sorry, I'll never use that word again), and just plain Mac fans in the audience here, and I think we represent a pretty good cross-section of Apple's core audience. Jump in on our poll below, and let us know, if the impossible became possible, if you'd plunk down the rumored $1000 for a tablet even before Steve's demo, or if you'd rather wait and see (or maybe not even buy a tablet at all, no matter what it does). %Poll-40508% Personally, I'm more of a "maybe," though I can totally understand the belief that this is already a revolutionary project (we've certainly been waiting long enough for it). Or perhaps those of us who already have an iPhone and a MacBook aren't really as interested in the in-between as Apple might think.
BioShock 2 now available for prepurchase on Steam
Valve has officially announced that 2K Games' BioShock 2 will be available for purchase on Steam -- you can pre-purchase the game right now, and it'll be unlocked for play on February 9, 2010, day and date with the rest of the world. The current price is $44.99, a slight discount from the boxed version, and that includes a Steam copy of the original BioShock as well, which you can "kindly" give to a friend if you happen to already have it. Or you can nab four licenses for you and three friends for $134.97, with each of you getting to play the original also. Sure, it's a good deal if you're not concerned with "discs" or "physical media," but does it come with a vinyl LP of the game's original soundtrack? Didn't think so, boy-o.
Poll: Do you rent or buy your Blu-ray Discs?
Look, we're as tired of hearing about "the economy" as you are, but even disregarding that, Blu-ray Discs are expensive. Darn expensive if we should say so ourselves. We get the feeling that they'll start falling to line up more evenly with Blu-ray hardware, but given that most flicks are still quite a bit at retail, we're curious to see the ratio of renters to buyers. Also, we're pretty sure most everyone would gladly answer this with "Both!," but we're concerned with what you do most. The majority of the time, are you a renter or a buyer? Has that changed since your days with DVD?[Image courtesy of Parislemon] %Poll-23404%
BusinessWeek: AAPL 'ripe for the picking'
BusinessWeek's Gene Marcial is gushing -- gushing -- over Apple stock, suggesting they're not only a good buying opportunity for those who already own some shares, but a good entry point for those who have never owned stock in the company. "The case for Apple is simple: Its stock is cheap based mainly on strong earnings and sales growth, and the outlook for further expansion of sales and profits. And the stock's profile based on such benchmarks as its technical chart pattern and price-earnings ratio affirms Apple's attraction," he writes. Marical quotes Standard & Poor's Thomas Smith, Barclays Capital's Ben Reitzes, and Needham's Charles Wolf -- all who have their own reasons to recommend buying the stock. Of 34 analysts who track the stock, 27 recommend buying and five recommend holding. Only two suggest you sell. As of this writing, Apple was up by over $7 per share at 89.75 during a generally positive session this morning. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up above 8,311, an increase of 265 points.
Panasonic and Sanyo change status to "it's complicated"
You know you've heard it from two lovebirds in junior high: "we're not going out, we're just talking." In a completely bizarre way, that's about the best way we can sum up what's apparently going on between Panasonic and Sanyo Electric. According to an unnamed company official "familiar with the negotiations," Panny is already in talks with Goldman Sachs, Daiwa Securities SMBC and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking about snapping up a "controlling stake in its smaller rival." Reportedly, these "talks" are at the so-called preliminary stage, and dialog regarding dollars and cents (and yen, probably) has yet to officially occur. Still, the insider asserts that a formal acquisition proposal will be submitted soon, potentially enabling Panasonic to quickly grab a "world-class" (wait, really?) battery operation and give it a leg-up in the exploding solar energy market. Stay tuned for more -- you know the unpredictable always happens on Saturday nights.[Via Bloomberg]
WotLK: Collector's Edition available for pre-order today
The regular edition of World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King will be selling for $39.99, and for only $30 more (total of $69.99) you can get the Collector's Edition. You can now legitimately pre-order the Collector's Edition at many retailers across the country and online.My local GameStop up here in Fargo, ND has them available for pre-order as of this morning. However as is standard policy with them, you can only pre-order games by going into the store. It has been my experience that in general you cannot pre-order over the phone, but your mileage may vary.If you're interested in pre-ordering online, the two major sites that I found to have the C.E. listed are Amazon and GameStop. Other sites, such as Best Buy, don't have the C.E. up yet. Remember however, if you want to get the game at midnight you'll most likely need to deal with a local retailer.We covered the contents of the Collector's Edition yesterday, but just as a refresher, here are the major highlight: A 208-page LK art book Frosty, the baby frost wyrm (non-combat pet) A DVD with developer interviews, commentary on the cinematic, etc. Soundtrack CD Mouse pad with a map of Northrend Two starter decks for the CCG, and two exclusive cards All of the latest news can be found on our Wrath page. Also, Ask a Beta Tester answers all your burning questions, Lichborne will walk you through the Death Knight class, and in Skill Mastery we've been explaining each class's new spells and abilities one by one. Prepare yourself; this is going to be fun.
Poll: Where do you buy your Blu-ray Discs?
With a report emerging this week pegging Best Buy as the go-to location for Blu-ray Disc purchases, it stirred up some curiosity here at Engadget HQ. Personally, we prefer to snag our discs online; there's just something about receiving those corrugated boxes on our doorstep that does it for us. We're interested to see where you procure most of your own BD titles -- in a store (which one?), online (which e-tailer?) or out of the back of a white panel van? You can keep quiet if it's the latter. %Poll-16683%
Making/Money: Virtual Red Paperclips
A few years ago now, I heard a news story about a man who traded one red paperclip for a house. There were several intermediate trades, but the basic gist of it was that he started with a paperclip and traded up from there until, eventually, he was offered a house in Saskatchewan in exchange for a movie role. I remember thinking then what an interesting concept it was (and wishing I had thought of it first). He really did not need any particular skills except maybe negotiation. He did not need any money. In the early stages, he probably didn't even need a lot of buzz. Just some connections and a dream. In more recent times, I have seen similar things done in games. Using the auction house and connections with guildies, friends, or just willing participants in the streets, it is entirely possible to trade your way to fame and fortune without ever picking up a trade or completing a quest.
Stone buys Rock -- could this be any more perfect?
When Rock fell under administration earlier this month, we honestly had no idea if we'd ever see that swank Pegasus 210 hit the market. Today, we still have no clue about the latter, but we do know that the failed company has been caught by the most impeccably named suitor Planet Earth has to offer: Stone. Reportedly, Stone Group will dish out "an undisclosed sum" for Rock, after which the two will meld together and form an all-powerful, completely unstoppable boulder. Watch out Mount Rushmore, you've got some serious competition now.[Via vnunet]
Nintendo stock downgraded on fears of slowing system demand
Despite Gamestop's recent assurances that the Wii will be hard to find for at least six more months, some think that the system's sales figures are about to peak. Exhibit one: KBC Securities Japan, which recently downgraded Nintendo's stock from a "buy" to a "hold" recommendation because of worries that Wii and DS sales will slow after "explosive growth" in the last year.The KBC report, which also includes a 30 percent cut in its 12-month price estimate for Nintendo stock, is also based on worries that the Japanese company will see its revenues continue to suffer as a result of the weakening American dollar. KBC's outlook stands in stark contrast to Nintendo's own bullish profit estimates over the last year of surging sales. Since everyone seems to be making predictions, we're going to go out on a limb and say that Nintendo's stock will plummet when contact with an alien race quickly erases all human want and destroys the international economic system as we know it. Hey, it could happen ...
WoW $10 at Circuit City
If you happen to need a copy of our favorite game, perhaps to get started multiboxing, here's a pretty cheap deal from Circuit City: order a copy of the original game online for in-store pickup, pay $10. The game is usually $20. On the other hand, picking up a copy of Burning Crusade to go with it, which one would generally want to do, will run you $30, whether you do it the physical way or as a download. And the Battle Chest is $40. So this is only a good deal if you for some reason need WoW without BC. Anyway, those of you who do need it, get to it.
Breakfast Topic: To farm or not to farm?
My guild-mates have told me more than once, "You shouldn't buy X (or Y, or Z) on the auction house! Farming it yourself is much cheaper!" I don't doubt them at all -- after all, farming something makes it free, doesn't it? But for some classes and specs, going out in the world and farming for items is a slow, slow process. And when the time spent farming is longer than it would take to do dailies to acquire enough gold to buy it on the open market... do you go out and farm, or do you hit the auction house when you need items? And even for classes that have an easy time farming whatever they might need, sometimes you find yourself with limited playtime, but you need one more primal fire to craft your epic thingamajig? Food or potions for tomorrow's raid? The Goblins tell us that time is money, after all. So today I ask you, readers. What do you find to be easier? Farming or buying?
Wii Warm Up: On the fence
There are some games that we'll buy without a second thought. Even if times are tight, we'll make sure they end up in our collection somehow. Games cost money, though, and since we're not rich, we just can't buy them all. Therefore, we sometimes waiver over a game, or two, or ten.Which present and future Wii titles are you on the fence about? Feel free to include Wii Ware and Virtual Console games. If there's something you can't decide whether or not to buy, let us know!
The Wii will flow this holiday says Reggie
In a painful to watch video by anyone with an iota of video production training, the Mercury News interviewed Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime about the Wii supply for this holiday season. Fils-Aime says, "Wii hardware that will be in North American stores will be unprecedented – substantially more than the launch, substantially more than has been seen to date." Yes Nintendo, keep diverting those precious Wiis our way.Then Fils-Aime rains on the parade saying that despite the extra supply, consumers should "regularly check" to see if the system is available. He says demand continues to outweigh supply, so those in need of Wii should be waiting at the store when the product arrives. As for the competition, Reggie dismisses Xbox and PS3 saying they haven't impacted their business. If you have no video training whatsoever feel free to watch the Mercury News clip and soak in the Reggieness.[Via GameDaily BIZ]
Nintendo stock price keeps going up
Without getting into those pesky things called numbers, Nintendo's stock was up 5% at the close of the Tokyo Stock Exchange today. This follows yesterday's August NPD report showing in the US the Nintendo Wii and DS continue to be on track like they're on Pokémon Safari. Nintendo's stock has seen a steady increase since E3 2005. Anticipation of the Wii and continually strong DS sales really got the stock shooting skyward late last year. Analysts are saying that if you're looking to buy Nintendo stock to go right ahead, this train ain't stopping anytime soon.The Wii and DS continue to be on a global rampage as far as anyone can see. Like the Financial Times reported, Nintendo has strong sales in all markets, not just in the States like the Xbox, or the PS3 in, um ... Australia likes it. It's moments like this that truly make us wonder where Nintendo would be now if they could figure out their production issues.
TUAW Tip: switch to the Mac on the cheap
The word that there might be as many as 9000 switchers a day got us thinking: maybe all those switchers could use some tips on how to save a few bucks while hopping the fence to white, black and aluminum pastures. Sure, Apple typically doesn't offer much in the way of excitement when it comes to zany blow-out sales on their products, but who says you have to buy your Apple stuff from Apple? There are plenty of resellers who offer some great deals to lure customers away from Apple's shiny stores, and discount watching sites can help you jump on time-sensitive sales. If you take our tips to heart, we guarantee both you and your credit card will sleep better at night with your next (or first) Mac purchase. Read our recommendations after the jump.
Best Buy whips out mad dealz
Seriously. Best Buy is having a small-yet-appreciated discount on a few of the Wii launch titles. The following reductions should have already taken place: Red Steel - $29.99 (formerly $49.99) Super Swing Golf - $29.99 (formerly $49.99) Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz - $39.99 (formerly $49.99) Perhaps not the finest of titles, but the significant price-cuts to RS and SMB might convince gamers who were on the fence to take the financial plunge. Any of you guys out there going to finally pick one of these titles up? Can we come to your house and play with you (we work for cookies and the occasional mixed drink here)?[via GoNintendo]
MASSIVE clearance at Best Buy starts today
If you're near a Best Buy store, gather up your $2 bills and get going, because they're in the midst of an epic videogame clearance, and you'll want to get there before the unscrupulous speculator types grab all the stuff to sacrifice to the ravenous eBay. You've got to be wily to get to the goods before the FatWalleters and the CAGs!There aren't any Wii games on clearance, but there are plenty of Wii-compatible Gamecube games. We've got a list of all the Gamecube software on sale after the break. Don't expect to find all of it-- most of it has been out of stock for months or years at most stores, and the price changed to clear out remaining copies. But we hope you do find what you're looking for in abundance. And we hope we can make it to Best Buy soon enough to luck into our own copy of Chibi Robo.[Thanks, ali emamdjomeh!]
Wii Warm Up: Basis for buying
Console games, at fifty or even sixty dollars, represent a very significant purchase for many of us. And yet, many if not most gamers seem to have a tendency to pick up games on day one, without so much as a rental or demo to validate their purchase. They read the previews and look at composite scores, and then essentially gamble that they'll enjoy whatever title they've purchased.True, there are reviewers with whom people generally tend to agree. But how do you guys make your decisions, if not with a trial run first? Do you trust a specific company to deliver quality, or believe that a sequel to your favorite franchise will do justice to the series? Will you not purchase a game you were looking forward to if the game receives lower-than-expected ratings, such as the recent Sonic and the Secret Rings? Come one, come all, to the comments section! Right this way ....
Gamecube for Wii credit, and tomorrow's chaos
Perhaps some of you are reading this article via your smartphone, waiting in bitter cold weather because you're sick and tired of not having a precious Nintendo Wii. We understand. Tomorrow's deluge of Wii's, which should be occurring at many nation-wide outlets (Best Buy, Target, and Circuit City all seem to be proper candidates), may make many people quite happy. It may make many people really, really pissed off.While you might be willing to spend whatever it takes, we have a bit of thrifty advice. First off, EB Games is taking your soon-to-be-completely-worthless Gamecube as fifty dollars of trade-in credit for a Wii. Normally, they only give twenty-five. While EBG and Gamestop have not been officially confirmed as having units available for tomorrow, it's worth a phone call (why would they advertise such a deal if it were impossible to use?). Also, it seems Tower Records is having a massive sale, with 25% off of pretty much everything, including games. Pick 'em up cheap! And good luck, troopers.[Thanks, Dave and Vincent!]
