Sprint Offering $100 Gift Card With iPhone Purchase

Sprint really, really wants you to get an iPhone right now.

After a $50 price drop last week, Sprint will now throw in a $100 American Express gift card if you buy any iPhone online with a new line of service. The promotion is only available through Aug. 26, and those who take advantage of the deal will get their gift card in the mail in eight to 10 weeks.

Sprint last week dropped the price of the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB iPhone 4S $589.00 at Amazon Marketplaceby $50. The latest promotion brings the price of the 16GB phone down to just $50.
Even better, Apple Stores are matching the discount, according to BusinessInsider. Cupertino will give you $100 in-store credit it you buy a new iPhone 4S and sign up with Sprint.

Other retailers have also begun dropping the price of existing iPhone models in anticipation of the expected iPhone 5 launch next month. Retailer Target is now offering 16GB versions of the AT&T and Verizon iPhone 4S for $179.99 with contract. Best Buy, meanwhile, cut $50 off the price of the 8GB iPhone 4 for both carriers, and is now selling it for just $49.99.

Apple last week quietly started matching the discounted iPhone prices from other major retailers and carriers.

The tech giant is reportedly planning to debut its next-generation device at a special event on Sept. 12 and release the phone nine days later, on Sept. 21. At that point, the iPhone 4S will likely get a larger price drop, too.

The next iPhone is expected to boast a larger 4-inch screen, a smaller dock connector, LTE connectivity, Near Field Communications (NFC), and a faster processor. Rumors over the weekend indicated that it will also get a bit of a battery bump.

For more, see 5 Likely Features in the Next iPhone. Also check out PCMag's full review of the iPhone 4S and the slideshow below.

Sprint iPhone 4S on Sale in Prep for iPhone 5 Release

Sprint cut the price of the iPhone 4S to $149.99 with a two-year contract as part of a new special that runs through September 14th, two days after Apple’s rumored iPhone 5 launch event.

All Sprint iPhone 4S models are part of the deal, which cuts the 32GB iPhone 4S to $249 and the 64GB iPhone 4S to $349. The deal also waives activation for the iPhone 4S, another $36 in savings.
This sounds like an amazing deal, but it’s not all that and a bag of unlimited data

On September 12th, Apple is likely to announce the iPhone 5, with an iPhone 5 release date in late September. When Apple announces the new iPhone, we expect price cuts on the rest of the iPhone line.
If all goes as planned, the iPhone 4S will see a $100 price cut on September 12th, dropping the starting price to $99. The iPhone 4 will likely become a free iPhone, like the iPhone 3GS currently is on AT&T.

Price cuts on iPhones and iPads are expected in the weeks leading up to the iPhone 5 release date, as retailers try to sell remaining stock for as much as possible. Given the large buy in Sprint agreed to in order to carry the iPhone, there may be plenty of stock on hand.

Read: Should I Buy the iPhone 4S or Wait for the iPhone 5?

Rumors point to a taller and thinner iPhone 5 with a 4-inch display and faster 4G LTE connectivity launching on Friday September 21st on Verizon, Sprint and AT&T. The iPhone 5 should start at $199 for the 16GB model

The iPhone 5 may look like the images shown in the video above. Leaks suggest Apple is sticking with the same design language for the iPhone 5, but Apple could surprise us with an unseen iPhone design come September 12th.