Walmart has now made Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone 5C cheaper and apparently it has been done to clear the shelves for the latest iPhone 6. That is not all; the giant retailer has also reduced the price of iPhone 5S, which fans the fire of iPhone 6 September release rumours this year. It seems that the long awaited launch of iPhone 6 is going to be sooner than expected.
Wal-Mart will let its customers buy 16GB iPhone 5S (16GB) for $79 only; this price has come down from $99; whereas 16GB iPhone 5C will be available for 97 cents only; it was previously on sale for $29. However the catch is that to avail these new discounted rates the customers will have to buy a contract for two years from any of these wireless service providers; Sprint, AT&T, Verizon and U.S. Cellular. You can get this package deal only by visiting the store; online stores are not offering these price cuts.
Habitually, Apple always calls for a cut in their previous iPhone models whenever a new iPhone is up for its debut in the tech market. Last September [Apple’s launching month] when iPhone 5S and 5C came out, iPhone 5 suffered a big reduction in its price at large retailing stores such as Walmart, Best Buy and Target.
It is not a usual thing for retailers to offer iPhones or any other Apple products at such reduced prices. Apple has a very strict policy regarding price cuts by the retailers. Currently Walmart is the only retailer that is offering iPhones at prices lower than MSRP (Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price).
Walmart had previously cut down the prices in the past as well; 5C went from $79 t0 $49 and 5S came down to $149 from $199; however none of them were sold for a mere 97 cents.
Apple introduced iPhone 5C at its launch event last year in September; the product was launched with the hopes to reach a different set of consumers who usually do not buy iPhones due to its high prices; even though initial sales were satisfactory but the decline was seen soon. To this date iPhone 5c is not among the most popular models by Apple, which could be one of the reasons that prompted Wal-Mart to push for its sales by cutting down its price.
5c is one of the most effective ways to tell Apple that it should stick to Steve Job’s mantra; “Apple doesn’t manufacture cheap”. 5c’s unsuccessful reign in the market started the buzz about the future of the company and its authenticity as the leading smartphone brand. Samsung had already captured that title and the 5c episode only confirmed the situation.
Considering this price cut’s relationship with iPhone 6’s arrival, it would be safe to assume that its launch is just around the corner.
iPhone 6 is one of the most awaited smartphones in the market. Forbes contributor, Anthony Leather gave a few ideas about what could be expected in the upcoming version of iPhone. He believes that iPhone 6 will have a much larger display screen, better and longer battery life and sensors.
Another interesting rumour is that iOS8 will also be launched in September; therefore a few experts believe that iPhone 6 will be driven by the latest version iOS8 and will come with 128GB storage.
