Wal-Mart cuts iPhone 5 prices in stores

Deals aimed at tempting iPhone users to upgrade their devices are starting to crop up.

Walmart today is dropping the price of its iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c models to $99 and $29 from $149 and $49. Two-year activation is required for AT&T, Sprint or Verizon and each phone has 16 GB of memory.

The discounts are only available in Walmart stores.

Meanwhile, Costco earlier this week began selling iPhones online at discounted prices, with 16GB iPhone 5s models starting at $77.99.

Prices for the iPhone 5s at providers remain at $199 for the 16GB model.

Phone makers, too, are making deals to stimulate the summer marketplace. Last week, T-Mobile began offering seven-day free trials of the iPhone 5s. Consumers simply sign up on the service provider's website and T-Mobile will send out a phone for no money down. If you decide to return it to a T-Mobile store, you won't be charged.

More deals are likely as retailers and providers seek to prompt buyers from their wait-and-see mindsets. Many customers may be waiting for discounts on iPhones that come after Apple brings new models to market. The company has launched new models in the month September and conventional wisdom is that an iPhone 6 is due later this fall.