iPhone 3G Discontinued and a $97 3GS Takes its Place

Presumably making way for bigger and better things, Apple will no longer ship the iPhone 3G. This doesn’t come as much of a surprise; instead, most see it as the next logical step as the red carpet continues rolling out for the iPhone 4.

I can’t see this discouraging many potential iPhone users. The recent keynote concerning the upcoming OS update already revealed that the bulk of the new features (the most interesting ones, anyway) wouldn’t make their way onto the 3G. With that in mind, anyone still looking to pick up the 3G because of it’s $99 price tag was probably clinging too dearly to that extra $100 it would take to upgrade to the 3GS.

But it’s a whole new game, as you can now rush out to Walmart and find the most advanced iPhone for precious few days, the 3GS, for $97 with a two-year contract. Here’s the only sticky point when interpreting the news of the discontinued 3G: Should we expect the 3GS to stick around at its lower price point with iPhone 4 soon to occupy the most costly slot? Or is it about to get discontinued as well, with retailers like Walmart looking to drop prices and dump stock?

Feel free to speculate, but I’m going to call it a moot point. Anyone willing to sign a two-year contract, but unwilling to shell out some extra cash for the more expansive new model in the iPhone 4 has some reevaluating to do.

The main takeaway here is that we could see the new iPhone hit shelves sooner than expected following its announcement on June 7^th. With the iPhone 3G benched for good and the 3GS flaunting itself for such a tempting price, the outlook is favorable.

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Devin Wieland

 

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