Apple retail store start price-matching to clear way for next generation devices

Rumors about iPhones are often hit or miss. A technological conspiracy theory going around in the last couple of years is that Apple releases misinformation sometimes to keep the rumor mills flooded. Occasionally, they will show their hand a bit to reveal some credence to some of the rumors. The latest version of this comes in the form of authorization given to Apple retail stores allowing them to price match specials and discounts being offered by carriers and other retailers. Discounts such as Best Buy’s $49.99 iPhone 4 8GB will now be matchable directly from the Apple Store. According to MacRumors:

In all cases, Apple will discount iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 models by $49.01 upon request to bring pricing down to $349.99/$249.99/$149.99 for the iPhone 4S and $49.99 for the iPhone 4. As with most price matching offers, consumers will likely need to cite the source offering the lower pricing in order for Apple to honor the price match.

On a side note, while it’s understandable why many retailers offer these price-match specials, one would think that a direct-from-factory retailer such as the Apple Store would be able to simply match pricing without making consumers go through the runaround of citing sources or bringing in ads. They should have the best prices on their own merchandise no matter what.