iPhone News Updated

Those who put off buying an iPhone in Germany now have the option of getting one at a lower upfront cost.

The iPhone with 8G of memory normally sells for €399, but is now offered by T-Mobile at €99 - providing you sign up for the top-end Complete XL plan that costs €89 per month.

So to save €300 on the price of the iPhone, you have to commit to spending an extra €960 compared with the basic plan offered at the German launch of Apple's handset. Fine if you're going to use those extra minutes, I suppose.

If that's more minutes and messages than you need, the iPhone is also offered for €249 upfront on a €29 monthly plan. That deal may attract potential customers who like the iPhone but are light users of voice and SMS, and don't want unlimited data traffic.

Discounts are also available in association with other T-Mobile plans, and these prices are a limited-time promotion until June 30.

The timing of the offer - especially the way its closing date aligns with the expected release of the next version of the iPhone firmware - has led some to speculate that it may be an effort to clear the decks prior to the introduction of the 3G version of the iPhone.

But that seems unlikely as at this stage the reduction only applies to T-Mobile and Germany. Other reports suggest the recent shortage of iPhones in the US has ended, with the handset now being widely available once more.

A T-Mobile spokesperson quoted by IDG referred to the offer as a "sales promotion" rather than a subsidy, and declined to comment on any new model that might be in the pipeline.

The iPhone with 16G of memory remains at €499 from T-Mobile.

[Thanks: http://www.itwire.com]