Leak suggests Radio Shack to slash iPhone 4 prices by $30

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
According to a new leak, Radio Shack is planning to drop the price of the 16GB and 32GB AT&T iPhone 4 on Sunday to $169.99 and $269.99 respectively, while the price of the 8GB iPhone 3GS is expected to fall to $19.99.



Update: Radio Shack announced the promotion in its weekly ad on Sunday. The ad notes that the $30 off sale for the 16GB iPhone 4 is valid from July 31 through August 6.



Tipsters sent Engadget a leaked photo (below) of what appears to be an internal document for retailer Radio Shack. According to the leak, the new prices, which require a new or upgraded 2 year contract, will take effect on Sunday, July 31.



Early 2-year upgrade customers can purchase the 16GB iPhone 4 for $399.99 and the 32GB model for $499.99. For customers looking to purchase the device without a contract, Radio Shack offers the two models for $749.99 and $849.99.



Meanwhile, a separate rumor claims Target will drop the price of both the 16GB AT&T and Verizon iPhone 4 models to $149.99, also on Sunday. An anonymous tipster told Phone Arena that the 32GB Verizon iPhone 4 will sell for $249.99, while the retailer will continue to sell the 32GB AT&T version for $299.99.



Target is also said to be offering up to a $100 off a new iPhone 4 with a trade-in promotion for the iPhone 4. Unlike the Radio Shack leak, however, the tipster was unable to provide evidence of the upcoming promotion, leaving the report unverified.







Last December, Radio Shack offered an aggressive sale of all its iPhone handsets with a temporary $50 price cut along with trade-in incentives. That sale quickly left the retail chain with a shortage of Apple's smartphone.



Discounts on the iPhone 4 could become increasingly common as Apple's release of the next-generation iPhone nears, especially given the fact that the handset is now over a year old. Numerous reports have suggested that the new device will arrive in mid- to late-September.



Apple has traditionally continued to sell the previous year's model at a discount. A set of photos released earlier this week claimed to show that Apple is working on a lighter, cheaper iPhone 4 revision that could be introduced alongside the so-called iPhone 5.







The next iPhone is believed to be thinner and lighter and include the A5 processor and an 8-megapixel camera.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 16
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Suppose this'll be another limited-time deal like that last one?
  • Reply 2 of 16
    Slash? Really? A 15% discount (16GB) or a 10% discount (32 GB) doesn't exactly deserve such a dramatic term.
  • Reply 3 of 16
    cvaldes1831cvaldes1831 Posts: 1,832member
    Another facetious headline from AI.



    A $30 discount from a $299 handset is just over 10%. Prices aren't being "slashed" here.



    Anyhow, the monthly contract charges total up to way more than the hardware costs.



    Saving thirty dollars over the course of a two-year contract won't even buy you an extra espresso bar drink every month.
  • Reply 4 of 16
    I work for Target and work closely with the Target Mobile crew.



    I cannot speak to the price changes, but I will say this, Target Mobile is owned and operated by Radio Shack.



    If Radio Shack is going to drop their prices, it is safe to say Target will too.
  • Reply 5 of 16
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cvaldes1831 View Post


    Prices aren't being "slashed" here.



    THey are when you consider that Apple doesn't do discounts EVER, so any price decrease is infinity percent larger than normal.



    Quote:

    Anyhow, the monthly contract charges total up to way more than the hardware costs.



    And yet people don't seem to care about that. Or notice it at all.
  • Reply 6 of 16
    blackbookblackbook Posts: 1,361member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    THey are when you consider that Apple doesn't do discounts EVER, so any price decrease is infinity percent larger than normal.







    And yet people don't seem to care about that. Or notice it at all.



    +1



    People are gonna see Radio Shack's prices as a huge discount and a great deal since it's rare you see iPhones for sale, other than that Walmart deal earlier in the summer when they were giving $50 Walmart gift cards for every iPhone 4 purchase.
  • Reply 7 of 16
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    The discussions of these price cuts themselves is irrelevant compared to the larger picture, i.e. the indication that the next model is close at hand. I for one have a plastic card at the ready for one
  • Reply 8 of 16
    successsuccess Posts: 1,040member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post


    The discussions of these price cuts themselves is irrelevant compared to the larger picture, i.e. the indication that the next model is close at hand. I for one have a plastic card at the ready for one



    I have my Bittorrent client ready to download the next iPhone 5. Should download within 30 minutes
  • Reply 9 of 16
    cvaldes1831cvaldes1831 Posts: 1,832member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    THey are when you consider that Apple doesn't do discounts EVER, so any price decrease is infinity percent larger than normal.



    First of all, this is a third-party retailer, not Apple who is discount. The iPhone 3GS subsidized by AT&T is now $49.



    Secondly, Apple does indeed discount. They always have a sale on Black Friday (the day after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday) with modest discounts on select items.



    Third, Apple is smart in not offering deep discounts. It doesn't have to nor does it want to.



    A.) They can maintain their high margins by keeping normal prices. That's good for profitability. Remember that as a publicly-trade company, Apple's primary mission is to increase shareholder value.



    B.) By not offering deep discounts, they don't devalue the brand's value. Companies who sell premium products have an interest in maintain the perception that the products have that high value.
  • Reply 10 of 16
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cvaldes1831 View Post


    First of all, this is a third-party retailer, not Apple who is discount.



    So how does that make it different?



    Quote:

    Secondly, Apple does discount. They always have a sale on Black Friday (the day after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday) with modest discounts on select items.



    Exactly. Never iPhones. So that's moot.



    Quote:

    Third, Apple is smart in not offering deep discounts. It doesn't have to nor does it want to.



    I'm not arguing this point at all. I'm stating that Apple doesn't offer discounts on the iPhone. Nothing more, nothing less.
  • Reply 11 of 16
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post


    The discussions of these price cuts themselves is irrelevant compared to the larger picture, i.e. the indication that the next model is close at hand. I for one have a plastic card at the ready for one



    Yep. They are not going to want dead stock around when the new iPhone hits, which is likely to be the second weekend of Sept. Perhaps the first if Apple is gutsy enough to do it on a holiday. Which is more possible this year since the BTS doesn't involve iPods. However, I think no on the holiday. It's just not Apple's style to risk folks having other plans and not lining up.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cvaldes1831 View Post




    Secondly, Apple does indeed discount. They always have a sale on Black Friday (the day after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday) with modest discounts on select items.



    But not on the iPhones. They argue that the discount is via your contract. Even when you buy a no contract full phone you can't get a discount as a business sale, an Apple Employee or anything else.
  • Reply 12 of 16
    bikertwinbikertwin Posts: 566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anfboymn View Post


    Slash? Really? A 15% discount (16GB) or a 10% discount (32 GB) doesn't exactly deserve such a dramatic term.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cvaldes1831 View Post


    Another facetious headline from AI.



    A $30 discount from a $299 handset is just over 10%. Prices aren't being "slashed" here.



    Anyhow, the monthly contract charges total up to way more than the hardware costs.



    Saving thirty dollars over the course of a two-year contract won't even buy you an extra espresso bar drink every month.



    Exactly.



    Quote:

    slash 1 |slaSH|

    verb [ with obj. ]

    ? cut (something) with a violent sweeping movement, typically using a knife or sword: a tire was slashed on my car | they cut and slashed their way to the river | [ no obj. ] : the man slashed at him with a sword.

    ? informal reduce (a price, quantity, etc.) greatly: the workforce has been slashed by 2,000.



    In no universe is a 10% discount a "great" reduction. Even if it's never on sale anywhere.



    You can say they "cut" the price or "reduced" the price or whatever. Just not "slash".



    Preposterous.



    Oh, the poor English language.
  • Reply 13 of 16
    bikertwinbikertwin Posts: 566member
    If you want to make it sound dramatic, you can honestly say it's a "rare price cut" or "almost unheard of price reduction" or even "once in a lifetime" (i.e., once in a product iteration's lifetime ).



    You can dramatize the rarity of the cut, because it is rare.



    You just can't dramatize the amount of the cut, because it isn't dramatic.
  • Reply 14 of 16
    boeyc15boeyc15 Posts: 986member
    'Slash', are you 'Joshing' me.
  • Reply 15 of 16
    michael scripmichael scrip Posts: 1,916member
    Ok.... so the prices might not be "slashed" too much... but a lower price can only help.



    iPhone 4 for $169... that's great.



    Lower prices are always more attractive. How many times do people say that the $114 Kindle is great... but a $99 Kindle will do better?



    Same thing applies here... every little bit helps.
  • Reply 16 of 16
    hittrj01hittrj01 Posts: 753member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cvaldes1831 View Post


    Another facetious headline from AI.



    A $30 discount from a $299 handset is just over 10%. Prices aren't being "slashed" here.



    Anyhow, the monthly contract charges total up to way more than the hardware costs.



    Saving thirty dollars over the course of a two-year contract won't even buy you an extra espresso bar drink every month.



    Yes, but think about it this way. People are going to have a cell phone regardless. Some people are going to have an iPhone, regardless. That monthly bill will be there no matter what, so if you can save $30 that you normally wouldn't have, while keeping all other costs equal to what they would have been, you still come out ahead.
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