The latest buzz is that Apple Inc. will be offering a discount of $49 on both the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4. The news comes close on the heels of Sprint's $50 discount offer with the carrier waiving off activation fee. With the iPhone 5 debut knocking at the doorstep, the Apple price slash move comes as no surprise.

The discounts are not available for online purchases and are only applicable for in-store ones. Per the price slash, iPhone 4S 16GB/32GB/64Gb models can now be purchased for $149.99/$249.99/$349.99, respectively, with a new two-year contract. VentureBeat reported that "An Apple employee at the Apple Store at University Village in Seattle verified the price cuts verbally on the phone".

Macrumors was the first to disclose that Cupertino-based Apple would be offering a discount on its existing iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S versions. Per Macrumors' report, Apple Inc. will match prices that are on offer from third-party stores and carriers in the U.S.

Apple stores usually do not offer a pricing match for its devices, apart from the occasional corporate and education discounts. The company is rarely known to offer major price cuts unless a new version replaces the older product. According to Ars Technica: "Apple Stores are authorized to discount the iPhone 4 and 4S only if there are Market Support-approved competitive offers".

Apple is not so benevolent when it comes to offering huge discounts; however, the price drop is not something that the company is undertaking for the first time. In the weeks leading up to a new iPhone debut, price reductions are not an uncommon pattern. Retailers and carriers alike are usually on full steam to clear out the existing stock before the new product hits the shelves. The situation isn't a cakewalk for Apple's retail partners, owing to the fact that the tech giant isn't that lenient when it comes to its channel return policies.

Apple's move to offer discounts gives credence to rumors that the iPhone 5 is on its way and that the Sept. 12 debut date may have a grain of truth in it after all.