Chicago (IL) – If you are tired of walking into AT&T stores and tired of being explained the advantages of “direct fulfillment” iPhone 3Gs, you will soon be able to purchase Apple’s smartphone in your neighborhood Best Buy. The retail chain today confirmed that it has cut a deal with Apple to offer the gadget next to already available Macs and iPods.  

Best Buy’s announcement marks the first time a third-party U.S. retailer will be selling the iPhone. The move increases the number of iPhone points of sales in the U.S. by almost 50%, just in time for the upcoming holiday season, supporting the apparently continued strong demand of the device.

Best Buy will begin selling the iPhone 3G in 986 stores (full size stores and mobile stores) across the nation on September 7. Previously, the phone was available through about 2000 AT&T stores and 186 Apple stores.  Analysts expected Apple to increase the number of iPhone distribution locations and the choice Best Buy should not come as a surprise: The retail chain carries the complete iPod lineup and recently started selling Macs at 600 retail locations.

Upgraded stores now sport a Best Buy Mobile section, a dedicated mobile phone department that resells phones and services. The focus are smartphones and it appears that the brand already has captured 3.6% of the market, up from 2% a year ago. According to Best Buy, sales of smartphones have gone up tenfold in each of its retail stores that have a Best Buy Mobile presence. Best Buy Mobile is also the only authorized third-party reseller for Sprint Nextel's Samsung Instinct, meaning that the iPhone will be offered next to competing smartphones.

Apple and Best Buy confirmed that the long-standing relationship between the companies enabled Best Buy to put the gadget on its store shelves.

"We had a lot of work to do, obviously, to get in a position where Apple and AT&T would feel good about Best Buy Mobile carrying it, and that's what we've done in the last 18 months," said Best Buy Mobile's president Shawn Score.