14 DAY TRIAL // A generally reliable source of rumors claims to have received word from AT&T that Apple’s next iPhone is launching next month. In the meanwhile, Walmart has slashed the price of the iPhone 3GS from $197 to $97 this week. The devices are sold with a contract. The move doesn’t come as a surprise, with Apple’s annual WWDC event scheduled to kick off on June 7, when Steve Jobs is expected to introduce new hardware.
The Boy Genius Report has an article entitled “AT&T confirms to employees new iPhone launching in June.” Acknowledging that, “[The] title says it all,” the site claims, “The phone will be available for purchase in June, not July, and from what we’ve heard, it won’t even be late June.” Apple itself has confirmed that WWDC 2010 will focus on the iPhone 4, making it the perfect time to unveil the new device.
With not one, but two prototype units leaked in the wild, Apple’s element of surprise is gone, one analyst believes. In a note issued to clients this week, Piper Jaffray analyst gene Munster said that Apple had “little room for surprise” at its Worldwide Developers conference.
“We believe that it is unlikely that the next generation iPhone will be available at Verizon (or Sprint) at launch; rather, it is more likely that it remains exclusively available at AT&T in the U.S. at launch,” Munster wrote. He included expectations that Apple might replace the $99 iPhone 3G with the iPhone 3GS, or a new device altogether. According to a World of Apple report, “Walmart has this week slashed the price of the iPhone 3GS from $197 to $97 when sold with a contract.”
Munster reportedly added earlier this week that, “WWDC will likely be in-line with expectations, and a non-event for the stock.” He said that, “The new iPhone will likely drive unit sales beyond Street expectations, providing a positive catalyst for shares of AAPL in the coming months,” according to a report by AppleInsisder. He also expects Apple to provide a “limited demo” of Mac OS X 10.7.