By Salvador Rodriguez, Los Angeles Times –
LOS ANGELES — Apple has authorized Apple Stores to price-match other retailers’ discounts on the iPhone 4S, according to a report.
The discounts are limited to $49.01, but appear to apply to all versions of the iPhone 4S, in black and white versions.
An image posted online by MacRumors shows a graphic that says Apple Stores can match discounts from Target and Sprint for the 8-gigabyte device. The stores can also match discounts for 16-GB and 32-GB models from Sprint.
Not all details are known about this new price-match program, but at first glance, it appears the biggest beneficiaries are people looking for a 16-GB or 32-GB iPhone 4S for AT&T or Verizon’s networks.
The discounts, though, come about a month before the expected announcement of the sixth-generation iPhone. That means that not only will the iPhone 4S soon be outdated but it might also receive even larger discounts come mid-September.
Along with discounts for the iPhone 4S, the graphic shows Apple Stores will be allowed to match discounts on 8-GB versions of the iPhone 4 from Target, the three carriers and RadioShack, which would bring the phone’s price down to $49.01.
But the program does not apply to Apple’s online store, and to receive the discount, consumers must first bring up the price-match. They must also reference the retailer that is offering the discount, according to the report.