When the new iPhone gets announced — whatever it is — the iPhone 4S will be discounted, the iPhone 4 will be even further discounted, but what will happen to the ancient iPhone 3GS? According to one analyst, Apple is preparing it as a prepaid device in developing nations.
Jefferies analyst Peter Misek claims that Apple has signed a deal “with a major global distributor,” and will knock the purchase price down to $200-$250, without any sort of subsidy. This would put it in a price range where people could afford to purchase it as a prepaid device, and use it without contract — even though it’s three years old.
As usual, this is an analyst’s claims, so doesn’t hold much water, but it would be an interesting move by Apple if true.
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By the time this comes into practice, I will be out of contract with my iphone 4 and will just move across to Tracfone’s StraightTalk bring-your-own-device plan. At $45 for unlimited everything, my saving would be huge while still allowing me to make use of AT&T’s network. And while I know video streaming is a no-no, I don’t do much of that anyway, but use the net extensively enough to make it a move worth my while. What’s more, I’m not tied to a contract, so anymore big changes in the prepaid market can be utilized immediately without the drama of penalties. Don’t know why I didn’t look at prepaid as the way to go a very long time ago.