[poikkeus]

Apple has the familiar habit of clearing out their old stock at reduced prices shortly before releasing a new model.
 
As it happens, Apple's first-generation in-ear headphone, the MA850G/A, is undergoing a massive liquidation. At street price, it goes for around $79.00 - though eBay pricing brings it down to about $28 and change, before shipping. Well, the in-ear headphone is just now undergoing a liquidation - predictably enough, since it has holiday gift potential, and is ripe for a generation upgrade. 
 
Well now, through eBay, prices for the in-ear headphone is going for around $24 or so, including shipping. There's no news on exactly when the new in-ear monitors are coming out, or what their price will be - much less how they will compare with the MA650G/A. But the good news is that prices are going down.

 

[david1978jp]

There are a lot of fake ones.
This one (in retailer box) asks USD $6 in China. They did a good job of copying it.
http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=5762353460

 

[ClieOS]

To answer your original question: no, there is no 'new version coming out soon', since the new version had already hit the market last year (or perhaps even earlier), called MA850/B, with improved 3.5mm plug and tighter metal mesh filter.
 
The real MA850/A are so cheap is partially because of liquidation, but mainly they are from left-over stock in corporation gift basket that Apple used to send out to big business for almost free to promote iPhone.
 
Of course that tricky bit is there are also a lot of fake in eBay.

 

[poikkeus]

Thanks for the great info!