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Best Buy Expects Sprint iPhone 5 in 1st Week of October

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Though this could likely be Best Buy reading the same rumors as the rest of us, the company is anticipating that the iPhone 5 will be available for pre-order during the first week of October. BGR points to an internal memo:
Thanks to a leaked document from a Best Buy source, we have discovered that Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores are anticipating taking preorders for the iPhone 5 starting in the first week of October. What's a tad bit more interesting, however, is the mention (and further anticipation) that Sprint will be carrying the iPhone 5 at launch.
Click to expand...
Best Buy warns, of course, that dates may change. A report that Sprint will also be carrying the iPhone 5 was recently revealed by the Wall Street Journal.

Meanwhile, ThisIsMyNext reports that Best Buy is also expecting a new "Apple Fixture Installation" on Friday, October 21st.
To be clear, this isn't a run-of-the-mill installation for the big box -- our tipster tells us that the request that a manager be on-hand at 6AM is out of the ordinary (they usually show up at 7AM for inventory), and that a similar arrangement was scheduled for the iPhone 4 launch.
Click to expand...
The new fixture could represent signs and displays for the iPhone 5 which has been rumored to launch at some point in October.


Article Link: Best Buy Expects Sprint iPhone 5 in 1st Week of October
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2011/09/04/best-buy-expects-sprint-iphone-5-in-1st-week-of-october/
*LTD*

*LTD*

macrumors G4
Feb 5, 2009
10,703
1
Canada
Sprint is now relevant.

It's amazing how carriers make a name for themselves with this device.

Before 2007 carrier news was hardly front-page material, and certainly quite dry. Now, carriers (even though they're dumb pipes) are actually accumulating mindshare.
 
HelveticaNeue

HelveticaNeue

macrumors 6502a
Apr 24, 2010
641
44
Actually the document seems to indicate that a iPhone 5 introduction with pre-ordering will begin this week "for a October week 1 launch". Not that pre-orders will begin October week 1.
 
K

klrobinson999

macrumors 6502a
Dec 28, 2008
566
328
Oct. 21st seems extremely late, but we'll take it! Are they going to have a cheaper iPhone for the Christmas season??
 
Warbrain

Warbrain

macrumors 603
Jun 28, 2004
5,702
293
Chicago, IL
*LTD* said:
Sprint is now relevant.

It's amazing how carriers make a name for themselves with this device.

Before 2007 carrier news was hardly front-page material, and certainly quite dry. Now, carriers (even though they're dumb pipes) are actually accumulating mindshare.
Click to expand...

It'll really take the wind out of Android's sails.
 
C

cvaldes

macrumors 68040
Dec 14, 2006
3,237
0
somewhere else
Warbrain said:
It'll really take the wind out of Android's sails.
Click to expand...
Doubtful.

A large portion of Android's growth is being driven by the race to the bottom, more specifically inexpensive handsets being deployed in Southeast Asia. It has been surmised elsewhere that many of these users aren't really treating the handsets as smartphones, but are pretty much using them as touchscreen feature phones, just making phone calls and texting, with little use in the typical smartphone manner (surfing the Internet, downloading apps, playing games, etc.).

Of course, these users don't really help out Google much (since they're not looking at ads), nor do they influence the Android developers (since they're not downloading apps). They're mostly allowing the handset manufacturers to continue their pattern of selling relatively inexpensive devices with low margins to the bottom end of the cellphone market.
 
wordoflife

wordoflife

macrumors 604
Jul 6, 2009
7,564
37
This is good for Sprint. I'm thinking it will help them out of the hole they are in if they keep prices as is.
 
N

noverflow

macrumors regular
Jul 4, 2002
188
0
The interesting thing here is that sprint could actually gain a lot of users if they keep their plans at the same level.

Let's see if the hike their prices up just like AT&T / Verizon
 
B

Bkfraiders7

macrumors regular
Sep 4, 2011
122
30
HelveticaNeue said:
Actually the document seems to indicate that a iPhone 5 introduction with pre-ordering will begin this week "for a October week 1 launch". Not that pre-orders will begin October week 1.
Click to expand...

Exactly what I was thinking when I read it. But it begs the question of why Best Buy would wait until the 21st to do the Apple Fixture Installation.

Oh well, coming from an OG Droid Im really excited. I was hoping for a July launch but happy to get it later then never. Heres hoping for that 720p 4inch screen ;)


btw..Apple did invest in Toshibas 720p 4inch screen. So at least theres a 1% chance of that happening :rolleyes:
 
T

theperipheral

macrumors 6502
Jan 20, 2008
396
0
The document says "pre-sale begins for expected October week 1 launch".

Doesn't that mean that, according to this information, the pre-sale would take place sometime at the end of september for the OCTOBER WEEK 1 LAUNCH?

This seems to go against the 21st release date.
 
D

DarkFlame

macrumors regular
Dec 21, 2007
205
0
Bkfraiders7 said:
Exactly what I was thinking when I read it. But it begs the question of why Best Buy would wait until the 21st to do the Apple Fixture Installation.

Oh well, coming from an OG Droid Im really excited. I was hoping for a July launch but happy to get it later then never. Heres hoping for that 720p 4inch screen ;)


btw..Apple did invest in Toshibas 720p 4inch screen. So at least theres a 1% chance of that happening :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

This would be sweet, I would love to see a side by side of 960 X 640 versus a 720 X 1280!

I'm assuming the down scaling that is currently happening would cease, but how much of a real life visual difference it is going to make is the big question.
 
B

blindzero

macrumors regular
Nov 28, 2006
198
47
That's not how I interpret the memo. Looks like they expect pre-sales THIS coming week for October 1st Launch of product...
 
W

wurt

macrumors member
Sep 4, 2011
89
0
blindzero said:
That's not how I interpret the memo. Looks like they expect pre-sales THIS coming week for October 1st Launch of product...
Click to expand...

Exactly this. BGR even updated their article with this information a few minutes ago.
 
Warbrain

Warbrain

macrumors 603
Jun 28, 2004
5,702
293
Chicago, IL
cvaldes said:
Doubtful.

A large portion of Android's growth is being driven by the race to the bottom, more specifically inexpensive handsets being deployed in Southeast Asia. It has been surmised elsewhere that many of these users aren't really treating the handsets as smartphones, but are pretty much using them as touchscreen feature phones, just making phone calls and texting, with little use in the typical smartphone manner (surfing the Internet, downloading apps, playing games, etc.).

Of course, these users don't really help out Google much (since they're not looking at ads), nor do they influence the Android developers (since they're not downloading apps). They're mostly allowing the handset manufacturers to continue their pattern of selling relatively inexpensive devices with low margins to the bottom end of the cellphone market.
Click to expand...

The race to the bottom isn't going to help Android and, as we've seen with other Apple products, people pay for quality. It will not be an immediate shift because of contracts but it will play out. Expect to see it pick up at Verizon in the next year.


wurt said:
Exactly this. BGR even updated their article with this information a few minutes ago.
Click to expand...

Although it does say subject to change. I bet it was put in for the first week of September regardless of any information from Apple.
 
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