Walmart iPhone probably happening, probably not for $99
By Laura June 
posted Dec 8th 2008 9:27AM
posted Dec 8th 2008 9:27AM
We've been hearing rumors of an iPhone at Walmart for a while now, and the only thing that was even mildly interesting about the unlikely pairing was that there was supposedly going to be a $99 4GB model. Well, now we hear that they'll indeed be selling the phone, but (as the ad above would seem to indicate) it's going to be a $197 8GB model -- about 2 bucks cheaper than you can get them for at an Apple or AT&T store, with no mention of a 4GB version at all. So, you're telling us we're going to be able to get this phone for (almost) exactly the same price as before, but now we can buy it at a store where we can also pick up Slim-Fast in bulk and possibly die in a retail trampling? We'll pass.
[Thanks, Mike H., Via PC World]
[Thanks, Mike H., Via PC World]
i wouldve passed simply because the phone is 4GB
I would've passed simply because the phone is an iPhone!
@Saad: You're as bad as iEye
A $99 model would have done well for Apple. It would've been a smart business move. I seem to recall Steve saying that the reason Apple don't make cheap products is because they feel they need to sacrifice quality. Phones are subsidised, meaning that Apple can price the hardware lower. Many people will be satisfied by a 4Gb model as an entry level model. I'd be surprised if this doesn't come out at Macworld. It's a good opportunity for Apple to try and appeal to those on a lower budget.
@saad: You troll.
@ KarlW: You are an iEye and a Clak combined.
News of my banning was accurate but highly exaggerated
I'm back baby!
Call JL5-... oh wait
I would've passed simply because it's sprawlmart.
@Karl - if a 4GB model at $100 would have been a 'smart business move' then how about pricing the 8GB model at $130 or something? Because I'm pretty sure the difference in memory size doesn't cost anything like $100.
Sure they could've used the memory size to differentiate/encourage people not to buy the one they make less money on - a strategy that worked real great for Sony with PS3 - but what I'm getting at is, if they are only willing to price it down (to customers) TWO DOLLARS then taking out 4GB RAM doesn't seem likely to suddenly make them willing to drop another $98.
@Sam;
Because Apple knows that most of the rich drones that buy Apple products don't know hardware Value, they only see apparent value, as in double the memory in an 'i' device should warrant double the price...
Now the aware consumer knows that retail of 8Gb flash memory is max $20 so Apple is making a bunle from a simple memory upgrade and a laser engraving...
Why do you think that Apple was so quick to cancel the 4GB 1st gen iPhone after the 1st price cut? it was too much of a give away!
now with the weak economy they need some way tojustify a low-end price cut without leaving the sheep feeling taken again!
There is no way Apple could offer a $0 iPhone without causing another so called "Early adopter" fiasco...
I would've passed simply because that's a Dell CRT
@ sam - Brilliant! Seriously... you hit the nail on the head.
I for one am hoping for the $99 4GB and $140-150 8GB model coming soon...
Wait @ sam and myself... they do price the 16GB phone $100 more than the 8GB... how do you factor that in? It's only 8GB more... shouldn't cost more than $40 or $50 bucks more max I would think. So Apple must be up to something.
$99 iPhones sold out before they hit the shelves :)
@Sam If Apple saved some money by cutting the space to 4Gb, given that component prices are falling, they would probably still be able to keep a really high margin. The margin wouldn't take too much of a hit. Since the contract price will stay the same, the subsidy (ideally, depends on Apple's deal with AT&T) would stay the same. That means Apple could do this at little or no hit in current sales margins. Then consider the volume that a $99 iPhone is likely to sell (a lot).
If they dropped the price on the 8Gb one, their margins would take a hit. The current model appears to be selling well, so from a business PoV, there's no reason to drop the price.
iEye, sometimes i think you suffer from multiple-personality disorder.
saad ftw. apple fanboys eat poop
stop replying to my post, you're spamming the shit out of my inbox!
I love spam, you love spam..... I love spam, you love spam..... I love spam, you love spam.....
Join in now with me guys and gals!!
iEye is like a scorned ex-lover that got the best sex in their life = just won't go away.
Does apple have some sort of retail clause that you cant sell any iphone accessories unless you carry the iphone? Because i've noticed in other stores they just have ipod accessories but not iphone accessories. Even tho Walmart wont make much money no the phone sales, this may allow them to sell accessories which are alot more profitable.
No, you're just seeing what you want to see. Target has half and isle of iPhone only products.
My Walmart has iPhone accessories.
$99 worth of FAIL on the Internets...
You know even if you could get it for 99 dollars your monthly bil would kill you. I had an instinct with sprint but go rid of it because my monthly bill was too high. These top of the line smart phones are made to where you have to have the mobile web casusing your bill to go sky high.
No kidding! Engadget loves to report on the price you'll pay upon checkout, and always neglects to mention that it will end up costing you $2000 (give or take) by the end of your contract!
Why would you want an iphone or Instinct without data? Just wanna look cool?
What are you all talking about?
You buy the alleged 4GB iPhone for $99, sign some shite AT&T contract, get a free wal-mart gift card...
Wait...........wait.............wait 31 days, then cancel the contract and pay the $200 ETF.
Go back to Wal-dealies and pick up an AT&T $9.99 motorola shite prepaid phone and dump the sim in it and voila! prepaid iPhone with no monthly bills
Wait, iEye got highest ranked?
What is this world coming to!?!
@Paul
According to Keanu reeves, the END!
In Theaters Dec 12 2008!
and again, iEye...
it's ok to type "shit"
@iEye - Not so fast!
The iPhone must be activated by both AT&T and Apple before it can work on AT&T's service. This translates directly as follows ---> No iPhone plan, No service.
And I'll save you the embarrassment of mentioning the word "jailbreak" - No iPhone 3G Unlock exists (yet). This INCLUDES to AT&T itself.
Stop giving out false info. You might waste someone a lot of money.
Two of his comments got highest, and one is highly ranked.
I knew those re-education camps were real! Everyone said I was crazy, but now look!
@bando
Wow, you must have forgotten the whole 'once an AT&T-locked iPhone 3G has been activated through iTunes, it works with any AT&T SIM' tidbit found out back in July/August-ish.
Here, a TUAW news post confirming it: http://www.tuaw.com/2008/09/13/confirmed-3g-iphone-works-out-of-the-box-with-payg/
And another site: http://www.phonenews.com/iphone-owners-freed-from-activation-hacking-details-drop-bricking-process-detailed-3752/
iEye was right. You can make yourself a prepaid iPhone 3G by buying the phone, activating it, ETF out after 30 days, and plugging in a prepaid SIM. There are people in various forums that do so already.
iEye? Highest ranked?
maybe because he had the same idea that thousands of other people had.... LOSER!
Not that I'm a Walmart lover or anything, but that cheap shot at the end there is highly inappropriate, especially when taken at the expense of a person's death.
Yea! Not to mention the 'Slim Fast'...
Don't worry about it. A lot of the writers on this site aren't nearly as funny as they think they are.
Would there really be people who would somehow be too stingy to spend $200 on a contract phone, but have absolutely no problem paying at least $70 a month to use that phone?
Or are they as stupid as the people comparing the $200 8GB iPhone to the $700 32GB Nokia N97?
Yes AND yes:
Consumers are, in the long run, stupid. The majority only see what they have to pay upon checkout. That's also a major part of the problem with the housing market.
As for your second point, they should be comparing the N97 @ $700 to an iPhone @ $424, because that's the price after an early termination of your contract + the first month's bill.
"Consumers are, in the long run, stupid. The majority only see what they have to pay upon checkout. That's also a major part of the problem with the housing market."
I had a feeling this was going to be why.
464 dollars...and then you've got no service on your phone. That would be a smart move. I guess you could drop one plan lower and pay 15 a month instead of 30 a month (just for data)...but the extra 264 dollars you've spent to terminate would completely negate the savings most likely.
If Wal-Mart sells them, it's only going to be able to sell them in markets where there is no AT&T store or Apple Store (I mean, they'll carry them in markets that do, but who would buy from them?). It would be nice if the power of wal-mart could somehow bring us an Iphone with a cheaper data plan, but it's not going to happen.
Hi does the 4gb iphone have MMS,video recording,copy and paste,landscape sms/email ?
What part of "iPhone" didn't you understand?
Yes to the last one, yes to the others w/jailbreak.
buddy, read the article again.. the 4GB is a no go. IT DOESN'T EXIST.
Yes, the 4GB version for $99 will exist. Wal-Mart will sell it along with the 8GB version. The photo shown in this article is intended to throw people off the trail. There's a Reuters story out today that Wal-Mart is going forward with both.
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/nm/20081208/tc_nm/us_apple_walmart
@i1patrick
Somehow, you must have missed the mentions of it being speculated and not confirmed by Apple or Wal-Mart even in that article:
"Numerous websites have speculated in recent weeks that Apple will offer a 4-gigabyte model of the iPhone for $99, which holds about 1,000 songs, at Wal-Mart stores.
CNBC said on Monday that while Apple would be selling the phone at the discount retailer, it would not cost as little as $99.
An Apple spokesman said the company does not comment on rumors or speculation."
So, this doesn't mean it's *true or false* that a $99 4GB will exist. I seriously doubt it will though.
meh.
hey, $2 is $2...so for the price of an iphone at the AT&T store, you could get an iphone and a week's worth of groceries at Wal-Mart. I'm there.
This is going to do wonders for Apple's upscale image!
Don't worry. It comes with a free black turtleneck.
Exactly what i was thinking.
I can't wait to see iSheep cry as average Joe starts 1337'ing with his iphone.
That's right - nobody buys iPods anymore, all because Wal-Mart has carried them for the last few years. I've never heard a single person say they like the iPod Touch ($227.88, $297.88 and $397.88 at your local Wal-Mart).
good don't sell the 4GB model anymore, got a friend with a 4GB model and he says its pretty much worthless and regrets having bought it, after the software you get like 3GB with music, photos, apps thats not much space
Picturing the genius bar at Walmart.... I think I peed a little.
Hey! question Apple professor sir!
"Where can I find the paper towels?"
"So, you're telling us we're going to be able to get this phone for (almost) exactly the same price as before, but now we can buy it at a store where we can also pick up Slim-Fast in bulk and possibly die in a retail trampling? We'll pass."
Complete Apple Fanfuck.
What do the writers at Engadget REALLY hope to accomplish by being elitist like this? Ohhh boo Wal-Mart, j00 makes AppLOL ifonz0r less 1337! Get outta here with that. Even the Apple fanboys find this banter ridiculous.
So now Engadget is making fun of the low income Walmart clients. Classy. I'm so proud how they are one step away from a racist comment.
Maybe its just me but I didn't see a mention or even subtle joke about Walmarts clientele that wasn't directly linked to a story of its occurrence. Its a sad day when peoples underwear are so tight that linking to a factual story is considered ______ist in some way.
How about not making the unfunny, tacky and stupid joke in the first place? It's a freaking human life that was lost in a freak, stupid, accident. I'll get my panties in a bunch as long as a human life in involve. You sir may not care about such trivial things but some of us who have family and friends who are working in say same job description as they guy who got kill can only stop for a minute and feel sorry.
Having worked at Walmart for 2 years, I then confirm that your panties are too tight!
@ dBs
You win. No point of discussing real issues with kids :)
GASP! How ageist of you! Was it so long ago that you were the youthful age of 26? Think of the children!
The iPhone 3G will always be a ripoff, even if it was $99. The phone is great, but with AT&T (read: the worst provider in the US) at the helm it will always suck. If you really want a merry christmas grab a $250 new in the box 2G iPhone (very easy to find), jailbreak and unlock it, and use it on T-Mobile for $60-70 per month, probably without a contract (Like me). Live free, don't be a pawn of AT&T and Apple.
With Apple being tyrannical about their products prices at retailers a $2 drop is almost unheard of unless its the "retired model'. Usually, retailers are left to get creative with accessories to create the mirage of a deal.
And so begins the dilution of the iPhone brand.
iPhone+wal mart=skanky
Gee, I wonder why they don't sell Nike's at wal mart, oh, because it's brand suicide
Yea, see, us hicks who have no Apple Store within 500 kilometers, we would rather pay Apple directly and then wait for the USPS mule to plod by days later. Why get it instantly for 1% off when you can wait in the snow like a forlorn lover?
You'd swear Engadget doesn't know lowborn hicks ... hold on, gotta go spit - then it's time for Springer. Gotta get dressed for Springer, the Mayor of Trailer Town.
$197 is better than paying $399 for a new one if you need a replacement for one reason or another.
you save 2 dolla and go to the dollar store and buy TWO thing and you be happy.
BE A MAN!!
DO THE RIGHT THING!
Radio ad today for Walmart that advertised the 4gb model for $99 in DC
good move by apple, will consider buying it.
What is that a browser from 1990?
RE: $197 is better than paying $399 for a new one if you need a replacement for one reason or another.
I think you're missing the point. The $197 is for the phone but you have to sign a two year agreement otherwise you can't buy it.
That would be fine by me. I'm stuck in an existing contract and don't qualify for the current subsidize upgrade pricing. If I could buy a new one for $197 and just re-up with a new 2-year contract, that would be awesome. Somehow I have a feeling they won't allow me to do this however.
Wallmart is a corrosive blight on the landscape. Shopping there is tantamount to selling your soul and selling out your neighborhood. All the money you spend there (minus slave wages) is funneled out of your area back to Wallmart HQ. I rather pay a bit extra at local businesses and have a healthier, happier place to live.
Very smart comment This iphone is $2 cheaper wow, lets all run out and save $2 to put up with brainless workers and a possible chance of getting a VD just by being close to those mindless drones.
Apple fanboys exist because apple makes quality products. Sure they are fairly expensive but for those of us who work hard for our money we know quality comes at a price, you get what you pay for. Considering what you get with a mac (quality webcam, good looks, sturdy build, made tough, plus apples products work).... if you dont like apple fine but why come in here and bash on a product or say apple fanboys suck etc... grow up seriously. if i was using a vista computer i would probably not be able to finish this post since it would freeze up or get a blue screen..lol
The iPhone is officially uncool now! Selling it at Walmart!?!? WTF?!?!?
It's a fact. Wal-Mart is getting the iPhone this December. I was looking at phones at Wal-Mart and the sales associate told me.
I would buy a $99 dollar iPhone just to use with iPeng to control my Squeezebox. Shame about the activation requirement.
May be we will finally see the iPhone Nano targeted towards the lower-end retail outlet. Gene Munster over at Piper Jafferies has been calling for a iPhone Nano by 2009. The supposed release date of "End of December" makes no sense. That thing should have been available at Wal-Mart in time for the holiday shopping season. I say it get's pushed out into January for a reveal at MacWorld first, immediately followed by the Wal-Mart launch. Enter iPhone Nano.
Now the question is what will the capabilities of a iPhone Nano be?
The rumors of a cheap iPhone were started by Troy Wolverton, at the San Jose Mercury Misviews, who has in the past tried to freeze Apple sales with rumors of pending price cuts. I mean, who'd buy something now, knowing that the price is going to be halved in the near future, right? Well, that's Wolverton's game, and he's part of Jim Cramer's gang of misinformationists. These guys should be investigated by the SEC.
iPods only sell a few bucks cheaper at Walmart, Sams Club, BJs, Costco, Target and the like. The rumor of a cheaper iPhone is just that, a stupid rumor.
I would love to see a super cheap iPhone come to Walmart. Just imagine the looks on the faces of all the current iPhone yuppies when Skeeter and Bubba show up with their own iPhones.
Ok, here is somthing unusual... I have been trying to get the iPhone for a while now but have tmobile service that my boss pays for and he does not want to switch. so, I finally decided to get my own phone. I made the trip to Walmart and paid $187 ($209 with tax) for the 2 year contract with an 8gb 3g. Funny thing was, the clerk trying to activate the iphone after qualifying my credit for approval of the iphone, could not get her computer to activate the phone. She rebooted the computer and the phone several times but there was no activation success.
She then called the AT&T store not too far away and asked if I could bring the phone to them unactivated and have them activate it for me. They said sure. Well, I figured if it wasn't activated, I may be able to get it unlocked and use it with Tmobile. That is what I did and it is working great. I never had to activate it with AT&T which means what? I am asking if this is true, and the phone never was successfully activated with AT&T, will I be held responsible for a monthly fee? Hmmm... I paid for the phone, they do have my name but do not show that a phone was ever activated. Any thoughts??? Thanks guys! Rob...