AAPL or Apple’s iPhone 3G will be sold at Wal-Mart at $197, much higher than the expected discount from Sunday, according to Wal-Mary Stores Inc’s statement on Friday.
According to the retailer, the 8GB model will be sold at $197 and the 16GB at $297. These phones will be sold with a two year agreement with service provider AT&T, according to a statement released by the retailer on their website.
Refuting suggestions from prominent bloggers that Wal-Mart may sell Apple’s iPhone for as low as $99, Wal-Mart on Friday announced that the price of the iPhone 3G will be sold in keeping with its price elsewhere.
This phone is offered $10 lesser than what Wal-Mart offers by Best Buy Co. Inc., the only other retailer of this phone. According to a spokeswoman from Wal-Mart, the iPhone 3G will be put up on its 2493 stores across 3200 locations starting from Sunday.
iPhone 3G is at present being sold at AT&T outlets, Best Buy and Apple Stores apart from various operators of wireless in more than seventy countries.
According Gene Munster, an analyst from Piper Jaffray, sales of iPhones in US could rise significantly with the deal from Wal-Mart. The relationship between the retail giant and Apple could increase sales of iPhone 3G by at least ten percent next year.
To the question as to why this deal was not stuck before the holiday season, so both Apple and Wal-Mart could have benefited from holiday sales, there was no comment forthcoming from either Wal-Mart officials or AT&T and Apple spokespersons.
