RSSWal-Mart waffles on reports of $99 iPhone 3G
By Jacqueline Emigh | Published December 5, 2008, 3:56 PM
Answering an inquiry from BetaNews about Wal-Mart's reputed plans to sell an iPhone 3G for $99, a spokesperson today issued a statement that neither confirms nor denies the rumors.
"We have made no official announcement on offering the iPhone at Wal-Mart," said spokesperson Kelly Cheeseman today, when asked by BetaNews for comment on published reports that the retail chain will start selling a 4 GB version of Apple's iPhone 3G for $99 just before New Year's Day.
The accounts originated on the Boy Genius Report blog before being picked up by other media. In November, BGR pointed to an internal memo at Wal-Mart announcing that Wal-Mart has reached agreement with Apple to sell an iPhone at "Wal-Mart and WalMart-managed Sam's Club Connection Centers nationwide beginning December 28."
Then yesterday, BGR cited unnamed sources as stating that Apple might be looking at coming up with a vastly upgraded version of its phased out 4 GB iPhone and permitting Wal-Mart to sell a 4 GB 3G device for just $99 with a two-year contract. BGR didn't seem to trust those sources entirely, however. "Don't hate us if this doesn't happen," readers were cautioned.
The reports actually seem somewhat feasible, though, given a similar deal struck recently by Wal-Mart for the Android-based G1 phone, along with current pricing for higher-end models of Apple's iPhone 3G.
Wal-Mart has already been selling G1s for $148.88, or about $31 less than wireless carrier T-Mobile is charging for the same phones.
Apple's present iPhone product line encompasses an 8 GB model priced at $199 and a 16 GB model for $299, both with two-year service contracts from AT&T. Apple briefly carried a 4 GB of the first-generation iPhone during 2007 for $399 -- but the company abandoned that product after lowering the price of its 8 GB first-generation model in an attempt at increased sales.
Meanwhile, a number of financial analysts have issued reports intimating that Apple has made so much money from the iPhone so far that it can well afford to sell a $99 iPhone, in the event that the $199 price tag becomes too steep for users financially strapped by the current economic crisis.
As a possible motive for Apple to do just that, Charlie Wolf, an analyst for Needham & Company, suggested a desire by Apple to further boost its growing share of the smartphone market to the point of almost total domination.
"In short, the iPhone...could figuratively take over the smartphone market leaving only niche players like [RIM]'s BlackBerry," according to the analyst.
Personally, I'd prefer an iPHONE over BlueTooth. Can't get into the "Star Trek" ear piece..I'm old school....I remember the 1st car phones...looked like satcoms and weighed a ton. Technology is great but let's keep all this in perspective...it's a toy that has a few neat uses and can actually be useful...albeit, at the price of being labelled and branded in forums such as this one...
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LOL, aren't they already, "Free Samples at WalMart!"
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Can you say "AT&T is is trouble?"
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I don't see the purpose of every Tom, d*** and harry getting their grubby hands on an iPhone except making it too common like the Razor which loses it's appeal when everybody has one.
Apple should go back to charging $599.00 for an iPhone and start charging $15,000 for advanced models.
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It sucks when your prized iPhone can be bought by the masses for $99. I agree it's not a status symbol anymore. It's just a way for poor people to appear hip, cool & semi-wealthy.
Remember when the RAZR was $1200? I have one of those too. I only like it because it's thin and tiny and I can put it in my front pocket and not have to wear it on a gay belt holder.
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Hey Hollywood...
"It sucks when your prized iPhone can be bought by the masses for $99. I agree it's not a status symbol anymore. It's just a way for poor people to appear hip, cool & semi-wealthy."
Are you serious? Oh, maybe you are 16 or 17 years old?
Get a life.
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This is hilarious!
Here's a bit of news sure to confuse you statusboy, a phone is a tool - not a status symbol.
You buy it for its utility. Unless of coursethey are like you and buy things simply for its co0nsopicious consumption appeal - in which case - who the F cares what such a shallow Bozo thinks?
And you bought a Razr for $1200??? ROFLMAO!
Wait until you hit puberty, your perspective will change. LOL!
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I didn't pay $1200 for a RAZR or anything for my iPhone. You guys are on crack.
They both used to be "status" symbols for wannabes with self esteem issues. Now they can both be bought by the common slob for next to nothing.
I was speaking to internetworld b****ing about the iPhone being so cheap. You guys need to get a life.
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I love the iPhone, and regularly use my iPod Touch but Apple won't get my money in exchange for an iPhone until I can use it on carriers other than AT&T, which is hands down the worst cellular carrier. AT&T allowed my local account to be slammed to a shady operator in Florida and then tried to shirk responsibility for that and the charges, I'll never do business with AT&T again... iPhone or not.
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I got a single-year contract from AT&T about three months before they stopped offering them in their stores (you can still get them at Wal-Mart). When it came time to upgrade phones I found out they had altered my contract from one year to two. My friend had pictures on his phone taken the day I bought mine clearly showing the one-year offers on the wall behind me. They said he probably doctored them. That's the kind of outfit you're dealing with. The problem is that in my area, their basically the 800-lb gorilla. Nobody else comes close on reception, and their store makes Sprint's look like a Coke machine. Having shopped around recently I'd come to the depressing conclusion that dollar for dollar, nothing tops that damn iPhone. Then a buddy of mine let me in on a little secret..the iPhone comes with no warranty. Apple wants an extra $60 to provide a warranty on a contract phone. They will also "fix" your existing phone if they possibly can before they'll send you a replacement. Should I decide to swallow my distaste for AT&T and get an iPhone, it will be from Wal-Mart. I'm pretty careful with phones but if I had to replace it, I'd just as soon pay an extra $39 for a brand new one.
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I have used an iPhone for about a week now. It's as embarrassing as it is cool. A lot of fluff and eye candy, but in the end, it's just a phone that can't nearly hold all my music and SharePod doesn't play well with it.
I feel like such a tool when I have to pull this thing out in public. It is the biggest "me too" sheep phone out there. I prefer the Blakjack but I turned it in when we all switched over the the iPhone.
The headphone jack is countersunk so you have to use the gay white Apple ones that sound like crap. Most jacks have too thick of a rubber casing to fit in the hole.
I did manage to connect to my AMX panel via VNC and control my house from the phone, but the novelty wears off after a while and you have to scroll around the screen to see the whole thing because it's 800 x 600 and the phone is 360 x 480 or something close to that.
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Nothing screams "I have self esteem issues" or "I'm a wannabe psuedo pretentious scumbag" like Apple products. Twice now, I have been forced to use their products by not having to pay for them.
Next time you are in Borders, look for the fake ass, turtleneck wearing guys who wear eyeglasses with no prescription sipping on a $6 coffee while his iPhone and Macbook lay out on the table he is sitting at for all to see.
We were just there yesterday and this a true story. He was sitting with his legs crossed like a broad, holding a coffee in one hand with a paperback in the other like he was posing for a bad magazine ad. I made eye contact with him and shook my head with a smug grin.
I could picture internetworld7 doing the same thing. He's a complete tool from what i can surmise from his pathetic and desperate posts.
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"I have used an iPhone for about a week now. It's as embarrassing as it is cool. A lot of fluff and eye candy, but in the end, it's just a phone that can't nearly hold all my music and SharePod doesn't play well with it."
This coming from a supposed hater of all things Apple, yet somehow he just can't stay out of the local Apple store. O_o
Classic example of schizophrenia?
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Mandatory upgrade from the Samsung Blackjack to the iPhone. I didn't pay for this thing or my 80GB video. It was such a smart move as the iPhone doesn't connect to exchange servers but the Blackjack does.
The only Apple product I bought was an 8GB Nano for my wife after we had purchased half a dozen iPod direct connect devices.
I try to hide the iPhone in public and my iPod never leaves the car or the house because it's always connected to something that can control it remotely.
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Notice the angry seemingly gay-bashing idiotic rant by the guy with a handle "Hollywood". Now that's funny! Next time I cross my legs I'll be thinking of his lovely poetry he has blessed us all with. I think I'll come up with a new name for him, "West-Hollywood" or let's try "Rim-Job".
Btw, I'll have to ask my pretentious Apple using co-worker at the NSA if that was him looking all f**goty-ass the other day when Hollyweird spotted him.
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The iPhone 3G has Exchange ActiveSync support built in; that was one of its selling points.
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But wait, he obviously has the original iPhone (mentioned the sunken headphone jack)...
Oh but wait, you can actually upgrade the original iPhone's firmware and get all of the new features for FREE, unlike other phones that (if they actually do provide updates to begin with) don't provide anything new.
And that begs another question - if he was "forced" to switch to the iPhone, why switch to one that they don't even sell or make anymore. I think he was probably in line day 1.
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Listen to the teenangster try to sound kool!
This is the kid who thinks MP3s are high fi and defines himself by which game console he uses.
Sit down. You're only drawing attention to yourself - and trust me, we are all laughing - AT you.
And you made eye contact huh? Who else but some meth head still in denial about his sexuality walks around worrying about what someone else is reading or doing aside from someone too shy to simply cruise the restrooms.
And you think yourself "smug". Trust me, prepubescent, you're a few letters off! Such a poor wack job desparate to be recognized as an adult... Just wear your XBox 360 tshirt! That'll wow 'em at the mall foodcourt!! LOL!
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"Mandatory upgrade" for a wanabe desparate for atention as he tries to be so kool by acting like he doesn't need por like that which he desparately clings to...
Stick to bashing competeing game consoles.
Just wait! The entire world opens up when you can ditch that skate board and actually drive instead of depending upon your mom for a ride to the mall so you can posture and worry about what others are doing as you haunt the food court!
ROFLMAO!
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$10 says the poser isn't old enough to get one without his mom signing for the credit application.
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The trouble is with AT&T's onerous credit requirements. You basically have to score a 700 on your report, or you MUST pay a deposit, sometimes in the range of $500-$800. I'm not judging the typical Wal-Mart customer (after all, virtually everyone shops at Wal-Mart from time to time), but their low end reputation means a lot of people who might buy the phone at a Wal-Mart may still not qualify.
Teens are also potential iPhone cuastomers, but AT&T's refusal to offer a pay-as-you-go plan for the iPhone is also holding it back, I fear.
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Are you sure? I basically have no or very little credit history as I moved to the US in April 2008. They did a history check at the aT&T shop and gave me the phone when I paid $200.
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????
You are right.
I don't know of ANYONE who has been turned down or required to make a deposit! Even a friend who has filed for bankruptcy has one! Its as easy as getting a landline!
The biggest hassle I have encountered with AT&T is getting acceptable wireless reception inside a building! ;-)
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yeah folks are gnan reak havock on there stores to get there hands on em, its gonna be like the launch of the ps3 all overagain lol
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Whoa!!!!
If they pull it off, that would be one hellova strategic marketing play!
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