By Jimmy Rogers
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

In a bit of a surprising (yet not so surprising) move, Apple may be releasing a more economical iPhone for sale in Walmarts around the country.  This rumor comes from Kaufman Brothers, a technology market analyst group that believes a cheaper, lighter iPhone is “inevitable.”  The specifics are, of course, speculative, but here’s what we have so far:

– Apple will partner with Walmart
– The device will have 4GB of hard drive space
– It will use AT&T as the service provider
– It will cost $99

Gizmodo is fairly skeptical of this because the Kaufmans’ claims have been along these lines in the past and Apple hasn’t taken those steps yet.  That being said, this would extend their product line out into a much larger group of users (much as they have done with the iPod already).

This rumor has been somewhat substantiated by an image of Walmart/AT&T phone activation manuals found “in the wild.”  Good enough evidence for me!  I know a lot of people who would jump at a cheaper version of the iPhone (though the service plan would likely be the same).

[Picture Source: Engadget]