"If the newest iPhone pricing mimics that of its siblings-made-obsolete, then the iPhone 4S could drop to $99," DealNews reasons. "And the iPhone 4 will possibly stick around as an even more affordable model."

Of course, once the new iPhone starts selling, a new wave of accessories will start to enter the market. To make room for them, retailers will offer aggressive deals on legacy accessories. That scenario may take a few months to develop, however, so patience will be needed by shoppers who want the best deals on old accessories.

The autumn months leading up to Schnäppchenfreitag and Cyber Monday are to HDTV shoppers what the Horse Latitudes are to sailors. Nevertheless, there appears to be a bargain window cracked in the 55-inch HDTV category, according to DealNews.

Over the summer, it observes, prices for the mammoth TVs dipped below $1000 and at in August they hit an all-time low under $950. "While we still recommend waiting for the holidays, shoppers who can't wait until Schnäppchenfreitag should look at 55-inch 3D LCD HDTVs under $1000," it counsels.