Wal-Mart Now Selling iPhones

Picture Steve Jobs In A Blue Vest

YESTERDAY (12/28), WAL-MART began selling APPLE's iPHONE 3G at its approximately 2,500 stores. The price, with a new two-year service agreement with AT&T (or qualified upgrade), is $197 for the black 8GB model and $297 for the black or white 16GB version.

"We are delighted to bring customers this ground-breaking mobile technology," WAL-MART SVP/Entertainment GARY SEVERSON said in a statement. "Our electronics associates have been preparing for many weeks for the arrival of iPHONE 3G."

The WAL-MART price is just $2 less than the going rate for the same models being sold at Apple retail stores, AT&T stores and at BEST BUY. Rumors speculating that APPLE would sell a $99 iPHONE exclusively at WAL-MART have turned out to be false. Nevertheless, the move could become a boom to APPLE and to content providers who access the iPHONE applications. As CNETNEWS.COM reports, the phone will now be made available to millions of more customers at a retailer that doesn't stock RESEARCH IN MOTION's BLACKBERRY and other smartphone rivals.

CNET NEWS' The Digital Home columnist DON REISENGER noted, "When you consider WAL-MART's size and importance, along with its decision to ignore devices from every APPLE competitor, I think it's abundantly clear that the opportunities for success for RIM, GOOGLE and the rest are severely diminished."

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