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Reports indicate Wal-Mart is planning to get into the iPhone business.

What's surprising about this is that the retail giant won't start offering Apple's smartphone until three days after Christmas, on December 28th. That's right, not before the holiday when they could take advantage of consumers looking to buy gifts this season.

Be it before or afterwards, a home at Wal-Mart would greatly increase the iPhone's retail presence.

Today you can pick up the iPhone at any one of Apple's over 200 stores, through AT&T's 2,000 retail locations and at around 1,000 Best Buy stores. At first, the iPhone would be rolled out at select Wal-Marts and Sam's Clubs before finding its way to all of Wal-Mart's over 2,500 stores.

When Wal-Mart started hawking the first Google Android-run handset - the T-Mobile G1 - a few weeks ago it did so at a considerable discount over what the carrier was selling for. Perhaps the same might end up being true with the iPhone as well.

[via CNNMoney.com]