WalMart

Apple hosted their quarterly earnings conference call for Q1 of 2009, during which Apple COO (and current stand-in for CEO Steve Jobs) answered a lot of questions people have had about the iPhone and Apple's direction with the current state of the economy and Jobs not currently at the reigns. During the call they touched on topics including the possibility of a lower-cost iPhone, their move to get the iPhone at Walmart, and their stance on protecting their intellectual property rights.

Just as they announced, Walmart stores around the United States became the fourth retail location in the United States to offer the iPhone 3G, joining Best Buy as a third-party retailer of the device. There were no surprises about pricing, with both 8GB and 16GB models selling at $197 and $297, respectively. The move by Apple will help them bring in people that don't shop at Best Buy, Apple or AT&T stores. In all the... excitement?... someone made a video of one of the new iPhone displays, so if you're really bored you can see it after the break.

After all of the rumors that Walmart would be getting the iPhone soon, we were pretty convinced that it was going to happen anyway, but the company has finally announced it to be true, with an official launch date of December 28 (this Sunday). The announcement also put rumors of a $99 iPhone 3G to rest. The official starting price will be $2 less than in Apple, AT&T and BestBuy stores at $197 for the 8GB and $279 for the 16GB with a 2-year AT&T contract.
[via Yahoo!]

Walmart has finally openly confirmed they will eventually be launching the iPhone 3G in their stores nationwide. Still not providing a formal announcement of any kind, stores have began displaying advertisements for the device reading "iPhone 3G: Now at Walmart" ahead of the scheduled roll-out. Image after the break.

More evidence of a Walmart iPhone launch has been uncovered. Engadget has gotten their hands on a leaked internal memo stating plans to launch the iPhone in Walmart stores on December 28 at 9 a.m. Ironically, it also states that Walmart has signed an NDA with Apple, which would explain why they haven't said anything about it to the public.

Walmart has launched a new version of their website that has been formatted to fit the iPhone's screen. Now when you visit Walmart.com on your iPhone or iPod touch, you'll be redirected to an iPhone-specific version that will let you browse products by catigory, view specials, and get a list of approved $4 prescriptions.

There's been a lot of talk about Walmart getting the iPhone 3G some time in the coming months, but do Walmart shoppers really want an expensive handset like the iPhone when they can walk a few feet and get a GoPhone for $15? Gene Munster says yes, to the tune of 4.5 million units, if they chose to do so.

Last week, BGR reported a rumor that Walmart would be selling the iPhone 3G, and another that the line-up would include the reappearance of a 4GB model at a $99 price point. Now Bloomberg has confirmed that employees are undergoing iPhone sales training, but there's still no proof of a $99 iPhone.

Last month BGR got word that Walmart might start selling the iPhone 3G in the U.S. on December 28. Now they have a tip from another source (whom they note isn't on their list of credible ninjas) taking the rumor one step further, saying that not only will Walmart be getting the 8GB and 16GB iPhone 3G, but will also have a 4GB for just $99.

Boy Genius Report has gotten information from several sources fleshing out the details of the rumored WalMart iPhone launch. According to the anonymous tipsters, the iPhone will launch on December 28 in 2,500 locations. Some stores will also be getting display units like Best Buy.