Apple drops iPhone 3GS price to $49, but will it last?

Drastic price drops rarely happen with Apple products, and when they do occur (usually iOS devices) it signals the coming of a new product. Late last week AT&T drastically lowered the price of the 8GB iPhone 3GS to $49.00. Apple has also quietly followed suit by lowering the iPhone 3GS to to $49.00, with a 3-year contract, at some point over the weekend.

One of two things could be happening in the near future. First, Apple could be clearing out stock for new iPhone 5 (or iPhone 4S) in the upcoming weeks. Or, this could be the new “low” price of older generation iPhones moving forward.

The first seems like the obvious and logical explanation, but Apple has never taken an iPhone under $99.00 in the past. Apple has a history of maintaining price-points while shifting devices through previous price-points when new products get released. For instance, when the iPhone 3GS was announced, Apple moved the iPhone 3G into a cheaper category. Then, when the iPhone 4 was announced, the iPhone 3GS was then priced at the iPhone 3G price-point and the iPhone 3G was discontinued.

If a new iPhone is being announced in the upcoming weeks, we might see the iPhone 5 (iPhone 4S) priced at the same level as the iPhone 4, and the iPhone 4 replacing the iPhone 3GS. The question remains whether the iPhone 3GS will still be available at the new $49.00 price, or if Apple discontinues it altogether.

Article Via AppleInsider