According to BGR, Walmart may still be getting the iPhone before the end of the year. Previous rumors pointed to November 15th as the start date, to no avail.
Back in early October, BGR explained they had a source that “had it on good authority” that Walmart would begin selling the iPhone on November 15th. Now that the date has come and gone, they’ve issued an update explaining perhaps why Walmart has not yet begun selling the device.
We’re not sure if our sources had the date wrong or if there has been some sort of delay, but we’re still confident that the iPhone 3G is on its way to the nation’s biggest discount chain. We have word that many store managers have already been notified, and that a memo has gone out to select stores with information including a release date towards the end of December. A post-holiday release might indicate that the iPhone 3G will indeed be discounted at Wal-Mart once released, and perhaps Apple would rather keep holiday sales at the current price points.
BGR has a recorded call from a customer calling Walmart, in which the employee does admit they are “getting it” — as in, getting the iPhone. While the call is extremely vague, perhaps it does shed some light on Walmart’s future plans. Of course, retail employees generally know less than the rumor mill, so using them as a reference is not a good idea. While BGR explains that they are simply pointing out that word has trickled down to retail employees, store managers are informed as well.
