Chug, chug, chugging along. When was the last time Apple reduced the price of a currently shipping product? Enter falling Thunderbolt prices! Also, the company has another go at fixing Mac HDMI issues, this time taking aim at the mid-2012 MacBook Air. And, are you ready for a $70 per month iPhone 5 sans contract.

A historic moment? Perhaps not, but it is notable the nonetheless when Apple cuts the price of a shipping product. In this case, the mid-2011 released 2.0 meter Thunderbolt cable price has been reduced by $10 to $39 — you’ve gotta wonder if this will have a stimulative effect on the economy.

In related news, Apple has also begun shipping a 0.5 meter Thunderbolt cable, which is tagged at $29.

The other bit of official Apple news out yesterday was the release of the MacBook Air EFI Firmware Update 2.6 (download). Specifically, this patch fixes a color issue with HDMI displays connected to MacBook Air, resolving an issue with Windows which can prevent MacBook Air from booting properly, and also addresses an issue where unplugging a Thunderbolt device may cause the system to freeze when waking from standby.

Lastly, whether you love, hate or simply loathe Walmart, the retail giant has partnered with Apple and MVNO Straight Talk to deliver a prepaid iPhone 5 deal that will set you back a miserly $70 a month. That works out to $25 a month to Walmart for the phone and $45 for “unlimited” data + calling + text.

Walmart’s prepaid iPhone 5 deal begins on Friday, January 11, but be sure to read the fine print and any quid pro quods…

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