Is Wal-Mart Gearing Up For Apple Mac Sales?

The move suggests Wal-Mart is trying to vacuum up electronics market share vacated by Circuit City -- which closed earlier this year -- before Best Buy and other retailers do the same.

Wal-Mart's official release mentioned by name products such as Samsung and Vizio TVs, an exclusive plan to sell Dell's Studio One 19 all-in-one PC and Sony's eReader device, along with handheld phones such as RIM's BlackBerry Bold, Samsung Instinct and Palm's PalmPre.

"We know customers really value our ability to bring them the brands they trust, the right level of assortment and the most affordable prices," said Gary Severson, senior vice president, Home Entertainment, Wal-Mart, in a statement. "We want to continue to keep them engaged and inspired, making selection easier, and introducing more technologies that add comfort, fun and quality of life, for themselves and their families."

According to one analyst, the move also is a sign that sales of Apple Mac computers might be in Wal-Mart's future.

In a Tuesday research note, Barclays Capital analyst Ben Reitzes said moving Macs through Wal-Mart could prove a booster for Apple Mac distribution and unit shipments.

"While we don't expect an immediate impact this year and believe Apple would need to reposition its lineup first, we believe that closer ties to Wal-Mart make sense," wrote Reitzes in a research note.

Reitzes did admit that Apple would need to focus on its cheaper devices, such as the $599 Mac Mini and $999 Mac Books, for Wal-Mart sales. But the research note expressed encouragement that a Mac sales relationship would be mutually beneficial, and "Wal-Mart's brand would likely see a boost in its attempt to compete with Best Buy" in the consumer electronics arena.

A shot in the arm for Mac sales might be just what Apple needs, although only Apple knows for sure. According to the NPD Group, Mac sales were a little worse than flat in April, while retail sales of iPods declined. Mac sales were down 1.8 percent year over year, reported the NPD Group, while iPod sales were down 9 percent.