Best Buy to sell iPhone 3G

The iPhone 3G is reported to be selling like hot cakes and on Wednesday Californian vendor Apple introduced plans to make the gadget more available under a deal with consumer electronics retailer Best Buy.

From September 7, the US high street retailer will start stocking the iPhone 3G at $199 for the 8GB model and $299 for the 16GB model, along with a two year contract with AT&T.

While the move marks the first time the Apple handset has been made available outside of AT&T and Apple stores in the US, the iconic device is already sold by high street retailer the Carphone Warehouse in the UK.

It seems likely that the Best Buy deal came about as a result of Carphone’s integration with Best Buy, which took pace in May of this year.

In a £1.1bn deal, the UK-based mobile phone retailer sold 50 per cent of its European and US interests to consumer electronics shop Best Buy.

The UK retailer has contributed its 2,400 European stores under the Carphone Warehouse and Phone House brands as well as its share of its existing relationships with Best Buy.

Under the agreement, The Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy will each own 50 per cent of the new retail business, comprising all the 2,400 stores, the web and direct businesses, the insurance operations, and airtime reselling businesses. Carphone will maintain 100 per cent control of its fixed line telecoms business in the UK, comprising TalkTalk, AOL Broadband and Opal; and its share of the Virgin Mobile France joint venture.