Yes, the iPhone went on sale at Walmart today
By Nilay Patel 
posted Dec 28th 2008 7:38PM
posted Dec 28th 2008 7:38PM
[Thanks to everyone -- seriously, it was like all of you -- who sent this in]
Read - iPhone on sale at Walmart
Read - Video of the display -- yes, someone actually sent in a video of the display
$197/$297 without a 2 year contract?
Walmart hates rich pmple along with black pmple.
@eggothewaffle
They also hate waffles.
@ post
NO ONE CARES IF WALMART IS SELLING IPHONES!!
i am so sorry engadget.
Why aren't any of my replies going through? :(
I hate it when I get a black head pmple too. I'm surprised WalMart cares though.
How many Walmart employees will have to die for this>?
That is WITH a 2-year contract for you, sir.
Walmart is putting out stands with working demo? I don't think it is a good idea. Punk kids will pull tricks to snag the security cable and claim ownership over that iPhone.
It's not that hard, the electronics department is unattended more often than any other department, I used to work at wal-mart...and I had to help people in the electronics department after I finished work, then I had to append my time card.
i hear u paid 300$ for a touch for your left pocket and instinct on ur rigth pocket.,so u carry 2 devices.,is that you...or u have more logic than that.dee dee deee.
what phone do u use to engadget blog.,?
Wow, Engadget used to have at least *some* reader commentary worth perusing. Then the place was overrun by Apple-bashing trolls, who now appear to have been replaced by even more juvenile idiots spouting nonsensical gibberish. Are any of the comments here of any redeeming value anymore? Good grief, Engadget has become the MySpace of electronica blogs.
How do I turn off the comments section by default?
Better yet, I'm heading back to Gizmodo. Farewell Engadget - we never even knew ye.
Gizmodo?
*Pop*
That was the sound of your credibility disappearing.
Anyway, not sure what the news is here. It's not as if the big supermarkets haven't been carrying phones for years.
complaining about comments? that's like complaining about the weather..
Yes this is news.. more people have access to the best phone on the planet :).
What's wrong with hating black people?
I want an iPhone, I just want want without a contract. 299+175(EFT)+36(one time setup fee)+70(1 month bill) and including tax, the iPhone would run me $600. I'm guessing I have no other choice besides eBay.
"someone actually sent in a video of the display."
he's probably the same guy who rants about Engadget posting so much Apple news
rule iEye out...
Wow, for $3 less than Apple and ATT stores. This must be the best year ending ever in history.
$2, sorry.
OMFG, $2! This is unbearable!! And to think that they actually loved us and made it $3 less! Way to go Walmart. I'll just wait for the next $1 sale. These people are nuts!
In other news...
iGadget, formerly Engadget!
... Walmart adds a special section for giant beans. They are said to sell at $6 a pack, that is $0.05 less than the grocery shop near you, of course this brings disappointment to what we all believed to be "nano beans" for $2 a pack, in which all were only rumors.
Yeah! Everyone bash engadget for liking Apple products! High Rank me! Yeah!
But seriously.
Do you commit to the contract in store or at home?
The price is with a 2 year contact and you have to leave the store with it activated.
Are you sure? So the store reps are trained now to activate the phone when you buy it?
All they do is plug it into iTunes and activate it.
Yes I'm 100% sure because the phone has to be activated in order to get the subsidized price. Its like that at Apple, AT&T and Best Buy.
i bet they are going to let a lot of 3g's into the wild to be unlocked.. they usually arent the brightest there. poor choice by att
Eww....
Prepare your selfs everyone because white trash will now sport those new shiny iphones!
Man how much as the iphone target audience has changed over a little more than a year...
it went from $700 to white trash $99.
so much for the hype.
Well, someone doesnt like people who arent as fortunate as they are and who do have funny [usually] accents and maybe dont wear the cleanest or most proper clothes...
Racist much?
"Poverty of goods is easily cured; poverty of soul, impossible." - Michel de Montaigne
Yes I can finally buy an iPhone ,I've been waiting 2 years for this life is good.,the moment is finally here.time to celebrate!!!!!!!!!¡!!!!!!¡this is the best news ever
the iPhone has been at about this price for months, and you waited specifically until Walmart got it in so you could buy it, even though Best Buy (which i think is a better store), Apple, and ATT all had them at the same price (ish).
But I shop at Best Buy.....and Wal Mart. What's wrong with Walmat, besides the fact that they sell the TV with the cheapest parts possible (but then again I don't buy my TVs from them)
I do,I'm a cheap mutha,bought a 52 inch Sony LCD xbr,
Walmart sells nice TVs, but they dont advertise them.
And their (basically) trademark brand, Vizio, is getting better. Not Sony or Samsung, but better than they had been.
just curious,is there anyone out there that will now buy iPhone at walmart????
Oh! ME! ME ME!! ME ME ME !! ME-- wait, you said buy? Sorry.
I thought you said "walk by the iPhones at Wal Mart and laugh since the discount is of a comical nature."
No? Okay then. My bad.
My cousin works at Wal-Mart, and he says they're giving employee's the $99/$199 pricing.
If he's not mistaken, incentive to get a summer job there? Methinks so.
Yeah, the $100 discount is really great considering the data plan on contract is $720.
Is it normal that 95.3% of the people I meet have a relative that works at Walmart?
You're a brown person. It goes with our territory.
how to be funny but racist...
@ Saad Rabia
You're Indian too? I have the same problem.
"Any relatives at Walmart?"
"Yep."
"How many customer service awards?"
"They all have a few."
I can see it now... when "Joe Six-pack Low-Income" buys one of these to see what the fuss is all about, the shock will come when they get that first $100 phone bill. I foresee many many returns after 30-60 days.
I agree, its easy to afford the phone, but the forced data plan makes the bill about $100.00 a month or so. Just not worth it, the iphone is nice, but i never use 20 dollars worth of data a month. Also when they realize a computer is a must have, when you have an iphone to put anything on it, they are going to be very upset
I can't believe how many people bash Wal-mart. Most companies only dream of being as successful as them. It's one of the best run companies on the planet. Their inventory system alone is one of the most advanced, and a pioneer in many aspects.
There's more reasons than "Joe Six Pack Low-income" as to why Wal-mart has inceased sales this year when many retailers are having record sales drops. Either Joe has a lot more money, or more people are shopping there than Best Buy and 5th Ave.
even though I've never shopped there.
@Mr. Pips
Judging by your comments you know nothing about Wal-Mart. They sell cheap shit with enough mark-up and the intention of moving it in bulk to make a profit. Not to mention give horrible benefits to the employees to cut costs. The marketing genius behind Wal-Mart knows how to target the average American who loves to get value for their dollar. If it's $2 or $.05.
Wal-Mart is all about value... in more ways than one.
Their benefits are on par for most companies. Sure, they don't get the benefits of GM employees, but they have better job security and don't need bailouts by tax payers. I don't think you know much about the company, other than what you hear on the Communist News Network.
And if they only sell cheap junk I guess that says a lot about the iPhone.
No really I USED to work there and they really do treat their employees like crap. I can remember managers trying to make people turn in medical claims a few days late so it wouldn't hurt that months profits. Don't believe all the crap on the evil empire, just watch the documentary on them, it'll open your eyes some.
Do you people realize that if Sam Walton (the founder of Walmart) was still alive today, he would be worth nearly twice as much as Bill Gates?
I think that speaks for just how genius Walmart is.
They are selling meat AND iphone in a same store?! Such disrespect to our mighty god, Steve Jobs.....
So I can buy my iPhone and Turkey Jerky at the same place now? Shucks!
And go to the dentist, and see people getting trampled, and hell, you could even get lunch at your choice of McDonalds.
Picture looks like it was taken with the iPhone.
Duh. The point is to make it so you can buy it from everywhere. That is why apple 'bowed' to having their display in BB.
I was going to pick one up if they were selling them online because I have a $100 online gift card I got with my PS3. But I got a PSP instead when I found out it was in-store only. Oh well.
Wal-Mart is an economic cancer. Does this mean the iPhone is now made in sweat-shops?
It wasn't before?
You're right. All those slaves they import to work there... We need to crush to only retailer left making money. Convert them the to the GM model of overpaid (really more over-benefited) union workers so they'll go out of business too. That'll make everything better.
Yeah, stop giving poor people jobs!
Who fucking cares? Does engadget have to report every bloody thing that has to do with iPhone, and pass it off as news? Is Apple paying you guys to do this, as some sort of hidden advertising method?
No.
Damn Nilay, a perfect opportunity to throw down there, and you threw it away.
Sure wish I was "eligible" for an upgrade right now....
I just bought an iPhone on the 26th. I wasn't too upset about AT&T offering refurbished phones for $100 cheaper b/c I wanted a new phone with a full warranty and (fingers crossed) hope my coupon goes through meaning it would be $75 off.
Anyway, I forgot that MacWorld was next week - if they announce a price drop or a new version or something I will be SO f'ing pissed off...
I love Walmart...
hey at least you don't have to "make an appointment" like you do with the wankers at the Apple Store. First time I heard that I was like "you pompous turds".
And I should give a shit why? A crap carrier with a locked down crap phone, from a crap manufacturer who is concerned more about form over function and appearances vs. actual usability; who tells YOU what you can put on your phone. Apple can take their pretty looking wares and shove it up their ass. the only people who like the iGodPhone are people more concerned about how they look to others then what they can do on the thing. And such people are the dregs of society.
I can't think how this is supposed to help selling the iPhones. Although I did buy my Verizon phone at Walmart, and still working perfectly fine, I can't think of how a $200, I mean $197, phone bought at Walmart is a deal over buying it at fancier Apple Store or Best Buy. If Walmart was giving its customers some decent savings, say 40-50% off Apple store prices, sure. But, $2 off a $200 is bullshit. There, I said it.
I'm still planning on getting my next phone from Walmart next month. But, it won't be an iPhone. I can't afford the price of the phone, or AT&T's monthly demands.
Walmart is usually selling last year's models for brands such as Samsung. But since the big rapid improvements in the quality of HDTV's has slowed down, last year's models aren't that bad these days. And in another year or two, the differences between the year's will seem insignificant over price savings.
I thought it goes on sale tomorrow? Oh, right! Today's Sunday! I'm glad my alarm clock handles turning off and on for the weekends because I'd never remember to reset it for Mondays.
Great... millions more people with toyPhones.
What's the big deal? It's just another place to buy an iPhone. It's the same phone you would get if you went to AT&T, Apple, or Best Buy. You should be able to buy one anywhere that you can get an AT&T phone and service.
Also Best Buy sucks!!!!! I avoid them at all costs.
I saw the 8GB for $189 and 16GB for $289. Of course, I don't know if this is the actual price because it was written on a piece of paper and stuck to the display.
BestBuy is offering it for 189/289, so Wal-Mart is honoring price matching guidelines for it (probably only for the week, as it was advertised in the weekly circular).
Yeah it's cheaper. But they will charge you for activation fee losers haha.
If this means I can get iPhone accessories at Wal-Mart, I am game. I go to school in a town with ONLY a Wal-Mart.
The thing I am worried about is Support, as of right now the only way to get iPhone support is to send in or go to an Apple Store. You can't even get hardware based support at an AT&T store, now that is semi okay because I would guess a good percent of iPhone users live close to an Apple Store. (Except me, Live in Wichita, KS, closest Apple Store is 3 hours away, which is why I am mentioning it.) Allowing iPhones to be in Wal-Marts opens it up to a lot of places that are very far away from Apple Stores (Midwest) and lots of consumers going to the point of sale asking for support only to be told to go to the "nearest" Apple store, or send in the phone and not have it for 7 days. Apple should at least allow warranty repairs in AT&T stores, or open up some Apple Stores in the Midwest.
Exactly. They are opening up new markets. In Montana, you are at least 8 hours from an apple store, and AT&T doesn't have service here. eBay was the only choice. There is no on-site available, and closest retailer is two hour's drive. And there are more spots like this all over our country when even some of the industrialized nations have had an introduction. I, for one, say "Good! It's about time."
Where I am, minimum ten hours drive from an Apple Store.
Oh, and we only have one. In the whole country.
Big fucking deal. It is SAD that this is news. It's been a year and a half since the iPhone was released....shouldn't EVERYONE be able to sell it now? All Engadget is doing is celebrating the fact that Apple puts such strict and draconian restrictions on the sale and use of its products.
@Squid
My hometown is in the middle of the NM/Colorado/TX/OK Panhandle region (at least 4 hours from an Apple Store) and people that have it there still have to ship to Apple... Even the first-gen iPhone was very popular in the region (and even more with the 3G)...
Unfortunately, I don't see Apple changing what they have been doing for the last year+1/2 just because some town like Clinton, AR (whose Wal-Mart gets to sell iPhone now... but has no AT&T corp or affiliate stores other than Wal-Mart... and currently no Apple Store in the entire state) or some other small town has no means to get walk-in warranty service.
Plus, all AT&T can do about many phone repairs is either: send it themselves to the manufacturer (risky), try to sell you a new one full price (or upgrade if eligible), or ask for proof of phone insurance before even taking it for repair... AT&T is a horrible place IMO to take back items for repairs... returns or exchanges maybe but definitely not repairs. Better off mailing a phone off to the OEM, since at least you have proof that you'll get something in return.
Plus, there is a means to get a temporary iPhone to use.
Other comments:
- Unlike other iPod products and various items sold 'in box', you'll leave the store with an iPhone in hand and ready to go rather than risking leaving with some box of rocks and a note (or some junk like that)...
- I also agree with others' statements on the display model theft possibility... unless they have them locked up after a certain time in the day and keep constant video surveillance, a big risk for theft exists by ANYONE (esp. employees). It's like temping a tiger with a meat-covered shirt; pretty bad if you ask me.
@mtpunkty
Wal-Mart isn't selling iPhones in Montana either, so eBay/Craigslist *still are* the only choices. AT&T doesn't service Montana so you can't really get an iPhone at a Wal-Mart without living in that state (just like any other contracted AT&T phone, obviously).
If Chinook/CellularOne managed to get the iPhone (or sell themselves to AT&T *laugh*), then that'd be news. But, this is still BAU.
Yep! Saw this in Walmart last night in Miami. I also just saw a chonga 40-year-old with jewel encrusted jeans. Whoa.
I'm a Walmartian (^_^)
So you got a bazillion "tips" from "all" followers of engadget about the iPhone/walmart debut and that photo is the best they (you) came up with?
And where will an electric cart riding, spandex stretching, front butt put an iPhone when she isn't fat fingering the screen with her meat claws?
Between the third and fourth rolls. Where her halter top meets her hotpants.
This comment was so vividly and disgustingly accurate, that I cannot help but to up-rank you.
You're such a moron. "White trash."
It's the same with ANY piece of new electronic gear.
Don't be sour cause you're some douche elitist who went out right away and payed $700 for a stupid phone that will be outdated within a year.
Oh and the targeted audience initially was for morons (like yourself) that would pay an insanely overinflated price for a mediocre product. The audience hasn't changed, people have just stopped paying so much for something that's not all that special.
Very bad move on Apple's part. No longer is owning an iPhone something unique, but something that your next door neighbor's 11 year old kid will be bragging about. Let's just hope Apple won't lower the price to $99. iPhone's in Wal Mart already give me shivers.
Note to William:
Buying or owning a product, any product, does not make you any more or less special than you were before you owned it.
Sorry, it was advertised on BBY online at that price... the ads aren't mentioning it. Doesn't sound permanent though.
The iPhone is only available for purchase with a 2 year contract renewal/upgrade. Non-negotiable. Even if you aren't eligible for your Upgrade, they can still give you a two year contract extension... for an extra $200 on the price of the iPhone. All Walmart associates in the Connection Centers/Wireless Departments that are selling the iPhones have been informed by AT&T that the iPhone is not available for purchase outright for any reason.
The iPhone Data Plan is $30 extra on your bill each month, and cannot be taken off. Even if you purchase an iPhone second hand and place it on your contract, you will still need to call AT&T to get the phone activated on their end for your service, and within that, they will add the Data Plan for you.
In the 1002 Walmart stores that piloted the iPhone sale before the 28th sold the iPhone to Associates only for the regular price of 197/297, not a reduced price. Each pilot store was given 5 phones to sell, to test the systems (which still don't seem to be working properly).
If you buy an iPhone at Walmart, pray to God that nothing goes wrong. Can you imagine trying to ask Walmart for "customer service" help?
Actually, my department manager decided to mark an iPhone as "Defective" when it froze on the Settings screen while I was off work. I left her a nice little note about needing to learn the features and tools the iPhone already has built in... like the hard reset (Home+Power button).
The original 1002 pilot stores sold iPhones to associates to help educate them on the usage and features of the phones. I already owned mine prior to AT&T even starting to talk about Walmart carrying the things. My "2G" iPhone (4GB) has served me well, and it's cheaper data plan will keep me from shelling out the extra dough to get one of the larger capacity phones.
The associates in the Connection Centers/Wireless Departments are "supposed" to be trained in the usage of the iPhone, and be familiar with all of the standard features. Hopefully I can get an email circulating around the Market Managers and Regional Managers to get the Wireless Associates more informed about the iPhone and how to fix common problems. That and... Walmart is only partially responsible for your new contract phone for anywhere between 15 and 30 days, depending on the carrier and the store's policy (each store enforces rules differently). I usually take the liberty of assuming that when people are interested in the iPhone at my store, that they've already read up on it some, or that I've at least demoed my personal iPhone to them at least once before.
As for people bashing employees at Walmart, I will have to agree that most are... regrettably, some of the most ignorant people I've encountered... next to the customers that shop there. However, I too work there, but it's a simple choice because there just aren't any other jobs available in my area. I'd hate to imagine that I just might be the only one in the entire store I work at with a college degree, but sometimes, I'm only left to wonder.
this is to all of you who think that people that work at Wal -mart are stupid ,dumb, or white trash!! They are your nieghbor, or a friend of a friend. They work there because Wal+Mart needs people to to help run their stores. They work there because they need a job. Who are yu to call people names? You only hear what yu want to hear!!!!!