And so it begins: iPhone 3G now available at Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart, the nationwide mega-retailer known for low prices and lower employee relations, finally confirmed this past Friday that it would be offering the iPhone 3G for sale beginning today. As promised, locations around the country started setting up new displays last night and low and behold, the iPhone 3G is ready to rumble as of this morning. This brings us to the end of a long and winding road recounted in this post, and as we’ve said before, positions Apple’s next handset perfectly. Many hardcore Apple’s fanboys shed a tear upon hearing the news however, despite the fact that Apple has gained a massive new retail channel, as the handset’s presence at Wal-Mart effectively erases any semblance of exclusivity that came along with owning an iPhone. Sure it’s already one of the best-selling handsets in the country, but this is viewed by some as the last nail in the coffin as far as the odd misconception that owning an iPhone is a status symbol is concerned. Whatever the case, 2,500 Wal-Marts and 69 Sam’s Clubs around the country are now stocked with iPhone 3G handsets ripe for the picking. So who’s headed to Wal-Mart today for some “discounted” iPhone 3G action?
Thanks for the image, Rob!
“…and lower employee relations”
holy jeez — & libs are perplexed at the difference b/t failure of GM and the success Wal-Mart
Bueller? Bueller? Anybody???
SLAVE-MART always low wages! always!
honslty good distribution channel now if they obnly mad a verson that whould run on tmobiles umts frquencies an sold unlocked it would sell like hotcakes
Slow news day or what? Story has been covered many times already, why again?
But in important news, welcome back Galvatron.
Wow, I have to say, I never thought this would actually happen.
so it’s settled, now I am definitely buying a BB Bold
This author has his head up his ass. Everyone who has a mac wants everyone to use macs. Apple users just want to end world suffering at least as it relates to using windows.
Seems like the iphone is on its way to be the ubiquitous smart phone, kinda like the RAZR was to regular cell phones. Great news for cell carriers as they’ll have millions of more data customers and bad news for M$, who has fallen so far behind that their next mobile OS won’t be released until 2010!
Keep in mind Best Buy still havs them for 189 and 289…so walmarts price isnt really that good.
I just want to know who on earth the idiot is that would actually run to a walmart location after a longer activation process and a #2.00 savings.
you all know that is supposed to be $2.00!!
I thought that Apple fans bought Apple products because you could not get them just anywhere… Especially Wally World.. Geeez.. Now every redneck in the country will have one.. I can hear the general lee’s ringtone going off now….
It cracks me up how much people love to hate Apple. I am not a fanboy, but, I do use Apple products. It started with an iPod (bought at Target, not exactly a huge step up from Walmart). Then, my PC needed to be replaced, and I thought to myself, “I like my iPod, and I haven’t used an Apple computer since using an Apple II to play Oregon Trail in elementary school, lets see what they are like”, so I went and played around with a Mac at the Apple Store, then bought one for cheaper online. After that, when my cell contract was up, I thought to myself, “huh, I like the way my iPod (almost 4 years old at this point), and my MacBook work. They are intuitive and simple to use, yet powerful enough to do what I need them to do. Lets check out this iPhone”. So I played with the iPhone (3G, I never go for the first version of ANYTHING), and decided it was a big step up from my WinMo5 MotoQ, and it was intuitive and simple, yet powerful to use. Of course, that I did buy from the Apple Store, but of my major Apple purchases, that is the only one (OK, I did buy my dad his iPod there too, but I digress). The moral of the story is, I don’t care where I buy my Apple products, and if I get them cheaper, that is fine. I don’t have them as status symbols, I have them because they work the way I want them to. I will tell anyone who wants to know exactly why I like each of the three of them. However, if you are happy with your Windows or Linux computer, or your Zune, or your HTC Fuze, or your Blackberry Bold, more power to you. I know what works for me, and they all happen to come from the same company. I wouldn’t care if it was an Apple or a mushroom on the back, I would still use it. Not all Apple fans (and I would venture to say, most) use their Apple products as status symbols.
Well, you have to think of this as an entire situation. Yea Wal-Mart is selling the same iPhone as an ATT corp store. At least they aren’t allowing Wal-Mart customers to not have a mandatory data plan.
A majority of people shopping at Wal-Mart (especially for cell phones) are not going to buy into a required data plan for the phone….these people are CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP. You can’t really think every redneck in the country is going to have one soley based on that fact.
Honestly if I was in charged of pricing I would undercut the walmart prices at the corp store by a couple dollars just to see what happens. I think it would be funny.
Someone please tell me why anyone would buy this phone from Wal-Mart instead of Best Buy or the Apple Store? Because you save $2? Whoopdie freakin do… I’m not an Apple fanboy, I do own an iPod but that’s it. Everything else I use is PC, but for A LOT of people the iPhone is a status symbol. Selling it in WalMart takes away the exclusivity of the iPhone. It’s one of the last steps for this phone to become way too mainstream.
Just wait until the phones don’t move with the $2 “discount” and Wal-Mart cuts prices to move the inventory. The fanboys will really be crying then.
The iPhone is a really good phone
And i’m not just saying that cause I’m writing this message from one
(:
Slave Wages (Minimum Wage) are much better than NO WAGES, they hire people that otherwise would be on welfare or unemployment, and they sell name brand stuff cheaper than anyone else, I’ll continue to shop there, it’s the best deal around
Selling at Wal-Mart can’t really hurt they already ubiquitous status of the iPhone. It may just be me, but I liken the iPhone’s popularity to the Sidekick of yesteryear. Face it, everyone has one already. If Apple wants to target the few that don’t, so be it.
This is what is going to happen. Everyone who activates a Iphone from Walmart will be sent to an att store to finish the job. It will be the worst customer experince ever. The ATT resellers send their customers into the corporate stores when they cant finish the job. Besides, the $30 data package will keep the same people from buying the Iphone that are not buying it at an ATT corporate store. Its a great idea on apples side, but I cant see an educated customer putting their Iphones “birth” in the hands of a walmart employee. Oh, and the Bold will be available at Walmart soon just like every other phone. Now that Im thinking, I wouldnt be surprised if you see Apple laptops sold in walmart soon. Why not. the only people who dont shop at walmart at all are people who dont have one close or they are conciously boycotting walmart.
“The handset’s presence at Wal-Mart effectively erases any semblance of exclusivity that came along with owning an iPhone”.
“This is viewed by some as the last nail in the coffin as far as the odd misconception that owning an iPhone is a status symbol is concerned”.
Are you serious? ROTFLMAO
Who in their RIGHT mind thinks that just because you have an iPhone, you have STATUS………..
let this bee a lesson never drink the Apple koolaid because you think it gives you street cred or status. To all those that did I got one word for you: SUCKERS!
Either BGR readers have become less educated over the past few weeks or your spell check has stopped working on your computers.
Enough with the ebonics. Speak english. It doesn’t even have to be proper english, but at least english.
@justaguy, cool story bro.
“any semblance of exclusivity that came along with owning an iPhone”
LOL WAT?
I’m with the Queen on this one. If you think that an iPhone has anything to do with exclusivity, you are dead wrong. Everyone has one, ranging from infants to the nearly deceased and mildly retarded to pretentious businessmen. It is the new RAZR, as proven by its sales numbers over the RAZR and the fact that it’s NOW SELLING AT WALMART. How was it ever exclusive? When it was $600, maybe, but those people were just flat out stupid for buying one. Now it’s arguable.
Okay, why does everyone think that wal-mart is for rednecks? There is an obvious reason why the retail giant has propelled 5 people into the top 10 richest people in the US, bot to mention one of the only GROWING stock values of any consumer driven company in the world. They are brilliant at positioning. They tell the market what to do, not the other way around. They have grown beyond dirt road corner stores and are crushing big city grocery stores. Who among you reading this HASN’T shopped at wal-mart? Independant of the color of your neck, you appreciate the convenience and value that wal-mart brings, even if you have to deal with a pissy check stand attendant.
So, the point I’m trying to make is that this is a good move for apple, who is trying to break free of the niche perception that has kept them in the MICROshaddow. Next will be macbooks and the lot. Keep in mind, this Jobs fellow is a lot smarter (and therefor richer)than any of us.