Consumer Nation

Getty Images The New iPad

No wonder an iPad still remains somewhat of a status symbol. A recent study has found that most of the users of the newest version of the iPad are confined to wealthier, coastal states.

Although Apple's

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[AAPL  Loading...      ()   ] new iPad has been on the market for about a month, it already accounts for about 9 percent of all iPad traffic, according to Chitika Insights, the independent research arm of online ad network and data analytics firm Chitika.

After seeing this rapid rate of adoption, Chitika took a closer look at the traffic coming from these devices. Using Census Bureau information as well as data pulled from the Chitika network, the firm discovered a close relationship between states with high median income and a high share of new iPad traffic.

California, Hawaii, Nevada, Washington, D.C., and Washington State topped the list of states with the highest share of new iPad traffic, Chitika said.

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There are many ways to celebrate April 20 — not all of them are legal.

Charles Baird | CK Alaska Photography Alaska Distillery’s Hemp Seed Spirits Vodka

On Friday, Alaska Distillery seeks to capitalize on the day's cannabis celebrations as it officially launches the country’s first hemp seed vodka.

“We wanted to come out with a product that was a legal product as an alternative to marijuana so people could still celebrate the movement without legal repercussions,” said Bella Coley, the company’s chief operating officer.

After three years of navigating the governmental approval process, the company received permission about six months ago from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to distill vodka from hemp seeds. The hemp seeds it uses are not produced and distributed in the U.S. Instead, they are imported from Canada.

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Mobile phones allow consumers to have "a mall in their pocket;" eBay allows them to pay for the goods they buy, CEO John Donahoe told CNBC Thursday.

Manuel Balce Ceneta

"They feel like they got a mall in their pocket with their mobile device, and that mall is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week," he told Squawk on the Street. "It allows consumers to get what they want, when they want it, how they want it. And eBay and [unit] PayPal are at the forefront of mobile innovation."

A lot of people have been going to that "mall." Late Wednesday eBay

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reported first-quarter earnings above analyst expectations and 29 percent revenue growth driven by its PayPal and Marketplace businesses.

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Source: Tumi.com Tumi filed with regulators

Coming off a year where global IPO performance declined across the board, shares of Tumi Holdings traveled in high style during their debut on the Big Board.

Tumi shares opened at $26 a share and soared more than 44 percent above the stock’s offering price. The stock

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[TUMI  Loading...      ()   ], which trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker TUMI, was priced at $18 a share, above the estimated range of $15 to $17, valuing the company at $1.22 billion.

But it’s been a tough market for new stocks. According to Renaissance Capital, U.S. IPOs underperformed the S&P 500 significantly in 2011. Some notable disappointments include FriendFinder, which closed down 21 percent on its first day, and has been down 88 percent since its debut last year.

But there have been some bright spots in the IPO market as well. Investors have shown an appetite for luxury stocks, and Tumi operates in that high-end world.

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Priceline.com is profiting from the old adage that good things come to those who wait.

Scott Eells | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Its Booking.com Tonight application, launched last week, is picking up a lot of traffic from mobile-savvy travelers who land in an airport and only then order a rental car or a hotel room, CEO Jeffery Boyd told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" Thursday.

According to Boyd, Priceline

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[PCLN  Loading...      ()   ] has noticed an interesting pattern: The majority of U.S. reservations were made the same day and usually within a couple of hours of checking into a nearby hotel or picking up a car from the rental counter, at which point travelers can get discounts of up to 50 percent from Priceline suppliers.  » Read More

Burger King wants you to have it your way. It's just trying to figure out what way that is.

CNBC Burger King spokesman Miguel Piedra said the company is sending out 30 food trucks to 40 cities across the U.S. to promote Burger King's new menu items.

The Miami-based fast food giant is spending $750 million to rebrand itself. It's freshening up stores, installing digital menu boards, hiring celebrities to pitch its products, and embarking on the largest menu expansion in its history.

"One of the things that we really wanted to do was give people an opportunity to sample what makes Burger King products different," said Miguel Piedra, vice president of Global Communications.

Part of the rebranding started Wednesday, as the company sent 30 food trucks to travel to 40 cities. Employees are handing out free samples of new menu items like fresh fruit smoothies and chicken strips with new dips.

The company hopes to exploit the popularity of food trucks.

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Say goodbye to snagging fine wine at a value price.

Tim Graham | Getty Images

As demand increases and inventories experience an extended shortage, consumers will have to choose between paying more, trading down or buying foreign imports, according to a wine industry report released on Tuesday.

Silicon Valley Bank, which provides the wine industry with commercial banking services, predicts the fine wine business will see sales growth of 7 to 11 percent this year amid a looming grape shortage.

“I think the consumer for the past five years has been used to getting really fine quality wines at a good price,” said Rob McMillan, founder of the bank’s wine division. “But as the balance evens out, you can’t expect the producer to sell at a loss, which is really what they were doing.”

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AP

Is Best Buy a potential leveraged buyout target?

The possibility has long been discussed, even before Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn unexpectedly resigned in the wake of an investigation of his conduct. But the turmoil is prompting the issue to be re-examined, according to sources who talked with Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The newspaper said at least two parties are considering whether to pursue an offer for the electronics giant.

Citing “a source with close ties to the company,” the newspaper reports, “investors are contacting people with connections to Best Buy to seek their help in exploring a buyout bid.”

Best Buy

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[BBY  Loading...      ()   ] shares hardly budged on the report.

Still, it is worth considering. Private equity likes to shop the retail sector. Retailers like Best Buy generate a lot of cash, which makes them attractive to private-equity investors, who can then reinvest that money in other deals.

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