Discount retailer Costco has confirmed plans to remove all Apple-related products from its stores, effective immediately. The retailer held an emergency conference call informing staff to begin removing all Apple-related product inventory and kiosks from all US and Canadian stores. At this point it appears Costco stores will go ahead and sell their existing stock of iPods, but will not be ordering more units once current inventories expire.

While no specific reason for the action has been given, speculation holds that Costco is angry with Apple for not including the retailer as an approved outlet to sell the iPad, so Costco’s actions are basically a measure of retribution.

Examining the situation it’s hard to tell if it’s a worse deal for Apple or Costco. The retail chain is indeed quite expansive and popular, but it’s hard to tell how many people head to a Costco for electronics purchases in general and iPod shopping in particular. On the other hand, it’s one less outlet where Apple can peddle its devices, and losing such a chain will bear a significant hit on the company’s bottom line over the long haul.

Of course, this whole issue may be little more than bluster, as it likely boils down to Costco’s attempt to make a stand and demand distributor rights for iPads. If Apple relents and adds Costco to the list of iPad retailers then this will all go away quickly. If not, then don’t plan on picking up a new Touch while shopping for gallon jars of mayonnaise and one-pound bags of cereal.

[via TiPb]

[ Costco Cutting Off Apple is a post from 148Apps ]

Have you been thinking about upgrading your old iPod Nano to a shiny new Touch? If so, then you may want to head to Toys R Us this week as select stores are accepting old iPods for trade-in credit towards the purchase of a new model. Customers can trade in up to three old iPods and each device will be appraised up to $100 depending on conditions such as model, functionality and overall appearance.

For a deal like this there must be strings attached, and on this one there are plenty. First off, the offer lasts for one week only, so you’ll have to get your devices traded-in by no later than October 23. Also, not all stores are participating, so you may have to call around to the stores in your area to determine who’s on board with the promotion and who’s sitting it out. The offer also isn’t available online, so don’t think you can do some sort of web-based trade-in, you have to actually go to the store. Finally, Apple itself is not involved in any way, so if you don’t like the price Toys R Us offers for your iPod don’t go crying to Steve Jobs, he doesn’t care.

In spite of the restrictions, this sounds like a potentially intriguing offer for folks looking to upgrade their iPod. If video game retailers like GameStop have taught us anything it’s that a lot of people love to trade in their old stuff for something new. Of course if Toys R Us massively undervalues iPod trade-ins the way GameStop handles console games then this promotion may not be as well-received as they would like, but if they offer a fair price we could see a nice spur in iPod sales this week.

Anyone planning to take advantage of this promotion? I’ve got a couple Nanos lying around myself and it would be awfully nice to transform them into an awesome new Touch. Anybody else thinking the same thing?

[via CNN]

[ Toys R Us Taking iPod Trade-Ins is a post from 148Apps ]