Apple Will Discontinue iPhone 3GS And Introduce 8GB iPhone 4S

According to a report from The Telegraph, Apple will likely discontinue the iPhone 3GS once it introduces the new iPhone at next week’s media event. The report also said that Apple will likely introduce an 8 GB iPhone 4S with a middle price point as it did with the iPhone 4 last year.

“The new update will mean that the 8GB version of the iPhone 4 will be the entry-level iPhone, probably given away free on £20 per month contracts, as the 3GS is currently”.

The Telegraph also notes that iPhone 5 will come in three different capacities, probably the same 64 GB/32 GB/16 GB line seen with the iPhone 4S.

Moving the iPhone 4 into the position that is currently occupied by the iPhone 3GS would allow more carriers to offer a free iPhone, because the iPhone 4 is sold in both CDMA and GSM versions while the iPhone 3GS is only offered in GSM version.

The iPhone 3GS would probably be most missed by customers who want to buy contract-free smartphones. Currently Apple sells contract-free, unlocked iPhone 3GS for $375 in the U.S. and at higher prices in other countries such as $455 in China. If the company elected to continue selling the device along with its three other iPhone models, it would have to cut the price even further.