“Just two weeks after hitting the market, Best Buy will begin offering a discount on Apple’s iPhone 5c,” Joanna Stern reports for ABC News. “From today, Oct. 3, to Monday, Oct. 7, the iPhone 5c will be available for $50.”
“According to Best Buy, customers will get a $50 gift card with the phone and apply that to the $99.99 device, bringing the phone cost down to $50,” Stern reports. “Best Buy has offered similar deals on Samsung and Apple handsets before, but not on Apple’s latest iPhones.”
“When asked about the reasons for the price drops, Best Buy said it was intended to drive traffic to those specific products,” Stern reports. “‘We view ourselves as a company that offers consumers something they can’t get anywhere else — all the phones, all the plans, all the carriers — and look for any opportunity to delight our customers,’ read a statement by Shandra Tollefson, a Best Buy official.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: This will be a very effective loss leader for Best Buy.
Are they only dropping the price of the 16GB 5c, or will they lower the price of the 32GB 5c to $150 as well? They don’t mention it in the article. To be honest, I’m really only interested in upgrading at this point to get to 32GB, and if they lower the price, that would motivate me even further. 😀
For every action, there is an equal opposite reaction.
One can only wonder what the equal and opposite reaction to this offer will be!!
Yes. It’s not a price drop, it’s a $50 card with the phone. Equally applied to the 32GB.
Good, that’s what counts is that it applies to both sizes! 😀
Totally expected, since the only $0 phone with contract is iPhone 4S, and the next step is $50, not $100.
Best Buy gets a nice kickback from the carriers for each activation they get, that’s why they can easily afford to do this. Hence why they will not sell you a 5s or 5c without a contract at their stores, even at full retail price. If you can even get them to actually sell you one, they mark it up $50 over what Apple charges.
I will buy it if Apple gives me a $50 store credit for buying one, i.e. $400 off contract. Not worth $550 at all. $450 maybe, $400 for sure. No point getting ripped off by sky high pricing for last year’s tech.
last years tech??
Well except samsungs galaxy4 is still (well) behind last years iphone 5. (and is literally generations (years) behind the 5s)
So, yes I guess you are somewhat correct… except last years apple tech is what samsung (and the rest of the android copycats will finally produce NEXT year)
So I guess, if you want the cutting edge buy Apple’s latest and greatest 5s. If you want (as you said) “last years tech” get the 5c and if you want two or three year old tech get a samsung.
You need to change your name because there is nothing savvy about your comments.
This is a great tactic by BB. They know the 5C is intended towards conquest buyers and this $50 credit will help those looking to upgrade make the decision about where to do so. Expect this to drive up accessory sales, “warranty” sales, and also BB can possibly get the trade in device.
But watch how Wall St. will now cry that the sky is falling! “Sell, sell, sell!
Thanks to the subsidy model, this is one of those offers that looks like half off to consumers, when it is actually just 10% off for the retailer.
Perhaps many people are flocking to T-Mobile, which offers 5c for “free” (actually, not quite; it is $0 down-payment, then 24 monthly installments of $22 = $528 — still cheaper than $550 at Apple).
I’m going to my car now…
Wonder if they actually have any.
But you still have to deal with Best Buy. Is that really worth $50?
I don’t have a problem with Best Buy, personally. For me, I like the fact that I can order online, use Paypal to pay, and then go into the store and pick it up the next day. They’re a winner in my book. 🙂