Apple’s Shuffle: 8GB iPhone 5c Now Available In UK, iPad 4 Re-Introduced To Replace iPad 2 Across Markets

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) vindicated rumors of an 8GB version of the iPhone 5c by releasing the device Tuesday in the UK, to boost the phone's sluggish sales by adding it to its European online stores.

On Apple’s European website, the 8GB unlocked version of the iPhone 5c is priced at 429 pounds ($712.27) -- a difference of 40 pounds between it and the 16GB model of the handset. The device is expected to be added to the company’s U.S. website and other carrier sites soon.

Except for the drop in memory capacity, there are no other changes to the iPhone 5c. The new 8GB model of the iPhone 5c is said to be designed to help increase sales in the low-cost phone arena, where the 8GB iPhone 4S appears to be a much less attractive device compared to competing products from other manufacturers, 9to5Mac reported.

The 8GB iPhone 5c is also listed on wireless carrier O2's UK webpage with a price tag of 409 pounds ($679) off-contract, which is 60 pounds ($99.62) cheaper than the 16GB model of the device.

While O2's website still lists the iPhone 4S, Apple’s current entry-level iPhone, some industry observers have speculated that the company could discontinue the older-generation device in favor of the newer model, AppleInsider reported.

Meanwhile, Apple also made another shuffle in its product line-up on Tuesday by replacing the entry-level iPad 2 with the 16GB version of the fourth-generation iPad with Retina display. The iPad 4 is currently available once again on Apple’s website at $399 for the Wi-Fi model, while the Wi-Fi + cellular model costs $529.

Apple decided to discontinue the iPad 2 after it served for nearly two years as the company’s entry-level tablet offering. After the reintroduction of the iPad 4, the first-generation iPad mini becomes the only non-Retina iOS device offered by Apple.

It is worth mentioning here that the iPad 2 was the last remaining product to use Apple's 30-pin adapter, while all other current iOS products feature the more recent Lightning connector.