There has been some speculation recently that Apple will be releasing two handsets this September, with one being a pre-paid cheaper model. We now have news that iPhone 3GS stock is almost nonexistent ahead of the iPhone 5 release.
It is this device which has been rumored to be the more affordable iPhone model which Apple was going to make available for consumers. But according to information on 9 to 5 Mac, sources in several different countries have said stock of the device is quickly running dry. Some regions have reported low, or even no shipments coming through. While a source from an Orange store in the UK has said that staff have been told the device is no longer available.
Other European sources have stated that hardly any stock will be arriving in the coming weeks, while in the US a previously accurate source from a major iPhone reseller has said stock is much lower than usual. Some regions in the country are getting no shipments at all, with a source close to Apple’s global shipping infrastructure saying that hardly any numbers of the handset remain.
Apple normally scales down shipments of products just ahead of a refresh or a discontinuation, which was recently seen ahead of the updated MacBook Airs. The company can even sometimes move such products lines to the refurbished section of the Apple Store.
We could even see Apple upgrade the iPhone 3GS ahead of a possible re-launch as a pre-paid device. The company could put in a faster processor or improve the screen. Or they may just be calling time on the device completely. Before we looked at reasons why now is not a good time to buy an iPhone 3GS, and you will probably have trouble doing that now anyway.
If Apple is going to use the handset as a cheaper alternative to its flagship handset, it makes sense if they give the specifications a boost to take on the comparable Android alternative.
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