$99 iPhone 3G Coming Soon?

The iPhone has been a hot seller, that’s for sure, but there are still quite a few people holding out. Perhaps the price and monthly contract fees have something to do with the fact that some users haven’t jumped on board yet. And then there’s that whole economic downturn thing where we’re all feeling strapped for cash.

Now, if rumors of a $99 iPhone from Wal-Mart are true, Apple may be able to reach a market it hasn’t yet been able to tap. Although nothing has been confirmed (more on that in a bit), there have been spottings of training materials that would seem to indicate the big-box retailer and Apple are up to something.

Yesterday, BetaNews reported that Wal-Mart neither confirmed nor denied the rumors, simply stating: "We have made no official announcement on offering the iPhone at Wal-Mart," said spokesperson Kelly Cheeseman.

Even though the rumors sound great and we hope they’re true, we have to agree with Boy Genius Report, who says, "Don't hate us if this doesn't happen." Still, a 4GB version of Apple's iPhone 3G for under $100 bucks sounds awfully good.

Regardless, it doesn’t look like this thing will be out in time for Christmas—a more likely timeframe is said to be just before New Year's Day. Given that, now may be the time to start asking for those Wal-Mart gift cards.

If Wal-Mart does begin selling a different version of the iPhone, it won’t be the first time the retailer has sold phones for less than one of the big four carriers: It’s currently offering the T-Mobile G1 for $148.88, which is about $31 less than T-Mobile itself.