iPhone 5 release date in weeks, as Sprint slashes iPhone 4S price

The release date for the iPhone 5 has arrived. Sprint has kicked off the news by cutting the price of the iPhone 4S by $50 to $149, which in the world of Apple and its very rare price cuts, signals that the iPhone 5 is indeed due to arrive no later than early September, as previously reported here and elsewhere. Sprint is merely leveling off the inventory of the 4S ahead of the iPhone 5 launch, at which point the 4S is widely expected to become a $99 product while the iPhone 4 becomes the free-with-contract model and the aging iPhone 3GS is retired altogether. Sprint’s move is intriguing in that its sudden attempt to burn off iPhone 4S inventory suggests that the 4S could go away altogether in favor of an iPhone 5 lineup which spans the pricing range from free to premium…

Various clues leaked regarding the iPhone 5 show that it will be a taller device with a screen which exceeds the standard 4:3 contrast ratio. That means iOS 6 will come with an option for a taller on-screen interface. Apple may be looking for a fresh start by flushing away all of the current iPhone models in favor of a new iPhone 5 lineup with a low-spec free model, a mid-spec $99 model, and a flagship model at $199 and $299. As such, carriers like AT&T and Verizon and Sprint would need to sell off all of their remaining iPhone 4S and 4 inventory ahead of the launch. That’s what makes Sprint’s sudden price reduction so intriguing: is it merely bleeding down 4S inventory to more manageable levels before it has to begin selling them for a mere $99 in the iPhone 5 era, or does this signal the end of the iPhone 4S altogether? We’ll find out soon enough, as the one thing the inventory bleed-off means for sure is that the iPhone 5 will be unveiled within weeks and will see its release date within a month.