Verizon Slashes Smartphone Prices to Under $100
By Simon Sage on Monday, August 3rd, 2009 at 10:51 AM PST In Verizon
Verizon has made some significant price cuts to the majority of their smartphone lineup, with many, indlucing the Touch Pro, Touch Diamond, and Samsung Omnia, available for $99 on a two-year contract. The Samsung Saga and brand new BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Tour are still going for $199, although you can pick them up for cheaper elsewhere. So, why the slashed prices? The most apparent pressure seems to be from AT&T (NYSE: T)’s iPhone 3G occupying the $99 price point, although it’s entirely possible that a fresh batch of phones (like the Touch Pro 2, Sholes, BlackBerry 8530, BlackBerry Storm 2, and Omnia 2, among others) will be claiming Verizon (NYSE: VZ)’s upper pricing tiers. Check out their online store to see if there are any freshly-cheapened smartphones that catch your eye.
The existence of a sub-$100 iPhone MIGHT contribute to VZW’s decision, but looking at its smartphone line-up one can quickly realize that there’s a lot of old crap sitting in inventory. There are BB’s launched 2-3 years ago. Sound like yesterday? Take a peek; the 8703e looks as modern as a ’50s Chevy.
The smartphone market is now like the computer market in the ’90s. Remember what it was like? Wait for the price drop or the next model? Deciding which was difficult as specs — and pricing — changed rapidly.
The smartphone price rollercoaster (cue Ohio Players) is just beginning.