SoftBank Promises 'iPhone For Everybody'
This week, the carrier launched the "iPhone for Everybody Campaign," which will give customers in Japan a free 8-GB iPhone 3G with a two-year contract through May. Before the promotion, the 8-GB iPhone ran about $235 in Japan.
According to SoftBank, along with offering a free 8-GB iPhone to new customers, the carrier has slashed service plan costs and chopped the price of the 8-GB iPhone's bulkier 16-GB counterpart, reducing the cost from roughly $350 to $118.
For data plans, SoftBank reduced its premium data plan rate from about $62 per month to less than $46.
SoftBank's iPhone promotion highlights a recent trend of iPhone price drops. Earlier this week, Best Buy introduced a program that gives its Reward Zone members up to $100 savings on an iPhone 3G if they purchase the smartphone at Best Buy Mobile stores through Feb. 28. Reward Zone Premier Sliver members receive a $100 discount on both 8-GB and 16-GB models, while standard Reward Zone members can take $50 off of either model.
The iPhone price reduction also comes as Best Buy offers refurbished iPhones for a $50 discount and AT&T launched an online sale of refurbished iPhones.