Unlocked iPhone 5 Will Not Be Sold in the U.S at Launch
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Posted September 14, 2012 at 1:00am by iClarified
Apple has confirmed that it will not be selling an unlocked version of the iPhone 5 in the U.S. at launch, reports The Verge.
We spoke with several Apple Store customer service representatives today, who informed us that US customers won't be able to sign up for the unlocked variant of Apple's new flagship phone when pre-orders start early tomorrow morning. The unlocked version also won't be available from either the US online or brick-and-mortar Apple Stores when the iPhone 5 launches on September 21st.
North of the border, Canadian customers will be able to purchase an unlocked device directly from Apple at launch. So if you're close to the border this may be a viable option.
The cost of an unlocked iPhone for the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB sizes will be $649, $749, and $849, when the device becomes available in the U.S. The prices in Canada are $699, $799, and $899.
Pre-orders of the iPhone 5 start at 12:01AM Pacific Time tonight!
Wait and see until iphone 5 release on 9/21, if apple doesnt say anything maybe, iphone 5 unlocked will be available november or maybe next year.
I don't think apple will be release iphone 5 unlocked in october because on apple website it show like this:
If I lose my iPhone, can I buy a replacement iPhone?
Yes. You can purchase a replacement iPhone from the Apple Online Store, an Apple Retail Store, or your carriers store. Your price will depend on whether you qualify for a carrier subsidy. Some iPhone models are also available unlocked from the Apple Online Store. An unlocked iPhone requires a SIM card that you obtain directly from your supported GSM carrier.
This policy is to prevent scavengers to buy them in dozens and peddle them for a healthy profit in countries that Apple has not green lighted the release. After October, things should quite down and iPhone 5 should be available in unlocked version.
No i think apple too many trick for US customer!!
Do you know how much price iphone unlocked in ebay right now from Canada seller? Average price is over $1000 for iphone 5 16gb.
When iphone 4S release it show on apple website schedule iphone 4S will be release! But not for iphone 5
At least apple have to let customer know, when iphone 5 unlocked will be release, it's help to make price not really higher!!!
Apple needs to lower the damn prices of their products. I can't purchase the new iPhone 5 because the 64-gig is way too damn expensive. $849 bucks is way too high of a price for many hard working middle class people. We don't have Donald Trumps money. And I believe that this is where google and Samsung will soon come into play when Apple runs out of ideas.
YummAndroidTasteBitterAndSweet - September 20, 2012 at 12:11pm
@Copperhead Apple has one thing that Google won't have until it gets much older:
You don't need 64GB, 32 or 16 would be fine.
Apple will never run out of ideas because They have been doing this phone stuff from 2007 and they have been around longer than google(April 1st 1976/Jan 3 1977) Google has been around since 1998 and has only done android since 2008. Google learned a lot from apple for android.
Android 2.3.4 w/ HTC sense 2.2 is 2010 but iOS was far more Graphically and Capably more powerful than 2.3.
Samsung may have been making phones longer. But they got into Smartphones like a year after apple.
The iPhone is what formed current day smartphones.
Android would be no where if there wasn't Apple making mobile products.
And if you have a 4S you don't completely need the iPhone 5, if you got a 3GS where dafaq have you been? You can save your money over a period of 2 years and have enough money for the upcoming release. If you had purchased a 3GS in 2009 and skipped the iPhone 4, and skipped the iPhone 4S and still having a problem then >.> wow.
But with the iPhone 4 or 4S then I can give you a bit of room.
Nitro Junkie is right. There will be NO "unlocked" iPhone 5 because of the LTE limitations. Each phone has custom designed components for each LTE network they serve. That also implies that traveling internationally with the phone will be even MORE difficult. Hopefully they have plans to allow you to use the phone internationally (a 3G unlock perhaps), but so far they haven't announced anything on the subject.
I just read an article on Wired.com that said the US AT&T GSM phone is limited to at&ts 2 LTE bands in the US. It might work for 3G internationally. And it will not support CDMA. But the CDMA phone will basically be and international phone which will support the non US GSM phones 3 LTE bands and verizon/sprints 2 LTE bands ( 5 bands in total) and will also support GSM/Edge but international only.
I will not buy iphone 4S since iphone 5 has been release.
As long 3G work international, i think that's fine because i buy iphone unlocked for traveling. I don't wanna pay expensive roaming charges to AT&T because i go many times to another country.
I think this is only apple and US carrier tricks to make US customer lose money!!
You can check in Canada, they sell iphone 5 unlocked since day one, the problem is not LTE, the problem is apple and US carrier too many trick to get money from US customer!
Honestly i like iphone but they make hard time for me, Since 2007 how much iphone unlocked price on ebay, very expensive right? Only one problem iphone locked to carrier!!!
They're probably won't be a unlocked version in the US. It has to do with LTE fragmentation and the new LTE chips they're using. CDMA LTE and GSM LTE run on different bands in the US and other countries. It's just like the iPhone 4. There were 2 versions at first. It wasn't until the 4S that there was a true unlocked "world" iPhone. That's because they were able to combined gsm/CDMA on one 3G chip. Wasn't possible before. LTE is still kind of new. Chips are still being developed. Probably won't have an unlocked version until the next phone which will more than like be the 5S. Or until the iPhone 6. Samsung and other companies have the same problem with their phones. Even though they do sell unlocked versions they're only unlocked for 3G not LTE. Samsung has 9 versions of the S3. 5 are for the US market. It all has to do with chip technology. Wired.com has a good article about this issue.
You are mixing up 2 completely independent things. Carrier lock is an artificial measure to prevent the phone working at all with a SIM card from different carrier than the phone is locked to.
The different LTE bands is mostly geographical problem. A single iPhone 5 model will not support all the LTE bands used worldwide.
However the advantage of an unlocked phone is that it will work with any carrier if the band is supported by both the phone and the carrier, be it GSM, 3G or LTE.
For traveling the LTE compatibility is meaningless as I did not see any operator worldwide offering LTE to prepaid customers so far.
It has nothing to do with apple putting limitations on buying one. It has to do with the limitations with LTE right now. Each carrier uses different LTE bands. At this time it is not possible to Make a chip to support all LTE bands. Just like it took until the 4S to get the first unlocked GSM/cdma iPhone. Your closest option is to get the CDMA version of the iPhone 5 through verizon or sprint which will support the Non US GSM phones 3 international LTE bands plus Verizon and sprits 2 US LTE bands. it will also support GSM/EDGE networks internationally. But will not support the US GSM network.
For Ricardo & Jedediah: I'm from china and i have big supermarket in US, i know my english is bad but don't say anything bad word to me!! Because i don't know and you don't know me!!!
For example If you go to china, you can't speak my language right, but i try to understand you!!!
Not like you blame me because my language!!!!
As a same fellow men, I'm so embrassed by the statement you wrote here, that is good way to make all the people look bad in the united states.
I understand you are furious about that Chinese man's remark, but your reaction's more of something that you can draw it from red neck or advanced racism with a group of people, who are extensively delusional, perhaps insufficient amount of the synapses that could've led to you behave this way...
I wouldn't blame on your parents ill-parental skills made you to be a very narrow-minded person, but the world we live together, languages, the shape of the faces may very from to place to place,
One thing for sure about all this is, to respect other people, though they may not look like, who you never seem around the sand box you used to hang out with,
But it's time to take a look outside of your sandbox and admit the differences, and try to resolve it with your good and understanding communication skills..
Bickering each other wouldn't help you to make you feel better. And also for the chineseman, having lot of things in life doesnt bring you respect, I hate to see those good amount of money changes good people's attitude.
If you want to get a respect from other, you should learn how to properly communicate with other people, especially like yourself who's learning English as second language, needs to be careful when it comes to the selections of the word, which might offend other English speakers.
I called Apple store the adapter will not fit the speaker connection OS finally expected to be here by yesterday screen cracks contribute to high resolution I'm not sure its high snow. You?
I guarantee it has something to do with the US carriers wanting the Buisness from customers coming to them first to get and iPhone 5 instead of buying and unlocked one.
That's disappointing, but I imagine, with the volumes they're expecting, that they're trying to cut down on people buying them just to resell on eBay (the usual destination of many unlocked iPhones). I'm sure they'll release them when the load lessons, but that could be weeks/months away.
I really hope Apple will care for those customers who travel a lot and understand our need for an unlocked iPhone 5 to avoid expensive international roaming calls when traveling to overseas.
Just you know Ive exchanged a brief email with Tim so I would believe him more so than apple representatives,, remember last year, apple representative gave some people with wrong informati
That just means to get an unlocked iPhone 5 in the US, you have to buy a locked one from AT&T, cancel and pay the ETF, and then get it officially unlocked via AT&T.
I called to one apple store and they said they will be offering iPhone 5 off contract as the same prince as unlocked but they don't assure the iPhone will be unlocked. So you think that if I buy that iPhone I can go to any AT
The rules to get it unlocked are you have to be a customer in good standings and your contract has to be up ! Last day of 2 years Then they will unlock ,at lease that's what they did to me
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