Earlier this week, rumors surfaced that AT&T would start selling the iPhone 3G without the standard two-year contract. The purchaser would pay more for the iPhone: $599 for the 8GB and $699 for the 16GB, but would not be required to activate the phone at the store.

The rumor turned out to be true.

Now, Apple Retail Stores have also begun selling the devices without the need for a contract. You can now walk into an Apple store, purchase an 8GB or 16GB iPhone 3G, and take it home with you. What you do afterwards is up to you. You can also buy online, through the Apple website.

The caveat is, the internal training documents in the article indicate that you’ll need an AT&T mobile account to buy the phone, and while AT&T is limiting the purchases to one iPhone per line, the company has no way of tracking this, so you could walk out the door and into another AT&T shop and buy another, if you liked.

But why has Apple suddenly decided to offer this?

This year’s WWDC is slated for the 8th – 12th June. We expect to see iPhone OS 3.0 debut, and looking at Apple’s annual trend in regard to product releases & updates - rumors suggest a third version of the phone will appear, too. Last year, July 11th 2008 saw the official launch of iPhone OS firmware 2.0 alongside the iPhone 3G, so it makes sense.

So, is Apple trying to lower their stock level of the iPhone 3G to make way for a new device in the summer? The lengthy contracts offered turned many people away – people who may now be interested in buying the phone, free of the restrictions of a telco contract.

Now, aren’t you gonna think twice about that 1-2 year iPhone 3G contract from Maxis?
And even with a contract, you’re still paying a lot more for it! 

Imagine this, the West have already liberated iPhone users with freedom in mind. Over here in Malaysia, new & potential iPhone users instead are getting ready to be shackled & bound. For at least a year or two.

Liberate yourself, iWorld has the perfect solution for you.