Wal-Mart Cuts iPhone 3GS To $97

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A bit of breaking news here, as American giant Wal-Mart is now selling the 16GB iPhone 3GS for the low-low price of only $97, which is $100 off what they’d charge you at the Apple Store. It’s a great deal for anybody looking to get an iPhone, although, they’re probably just making room for the iPhone 4/4G/HD.

It’s no secret that Apple traditionally releases new iPhones around June/July and well, with the ‘Gizmodo incident’ and the following leaks from Vietnam, everybody and their mother knows what the next iPhone will look like. So, it’s being speculated that Wal-Mart’s big price drop is so they can ‘clear the channel’ – free up store and warehouse space for the next iPhone.

When CNN asked Wal-Mart for comment, their director for wireless products, Mr. Mehrdad Akbar, only said, “It is our commitment to always lead on price.” At just under the $100 price point, that makes the iPhone a pretty darn attractive smartphone.

Legal statements filed by Apple in regards to the Gizmodo iPhone story charge that the photos of the next iPhone would be extremely damaging to Apple because sales of the current iPhones would be hampered. CNN reports that yes, in fact, when a new iPhone is rumored or spied, it has hurt sales of the current iPhones.

I’d argue that the average Wal-Mart shopper doesn’t read tech blogs and has no clue that the next iPhone is coming, but at any rate, Wal-Mart is offering cheap iPhones, if you don’t care for the blocky look of the next iPhone.