retailers

No more calling or driving around to the Apple stores in your area to hunt down an iPhone 3GS. After over a million units of Apple's latest model have already sold, the company has released an online tool so interested buyers can check current inventory themselves.

The latest version of Apple's online inventory tool should be updated hourly, which is an improvement over tools released for earlier iPhone models. The company previously updated in-store inventories of iPhone and iPhone 3G units only once daily.

The rumors have really flown this time. The iPhone 3G did not make it to Wal-Mart by the November 15th date previously reported here. However, it is now confirmed the product will be hitting shelves by the end of December. Some say the store is aiming for a pre-Christmas launch, others expect the iPhone to start selling there on December 28th.

Training materials distributed to Wal-Mart employees have pricing of the 8GB iPhone set at $197. However, employees have described a $99 4GB model to reporters at the New York Post and the San Jose Mercury News. Could it be a total fabrication?

According to reports, Best Buy will not be the only third-party reseller of the iPhone 3G for long. Wal-Mart may be joining the ranks as early as November 15th, just in time for the holiday shopping season. Does this mean we can look forward to Rollback Savings? Don't count on it.

Currently, prices for the 8GB and 16GB iPhone 3G at Best Buy are $199 and $299 respectively, the same as they are at AT&T and Apple retail stores. The product is not available on the web, since in-store activation is required.