Apple and Virgin Mobile USA Planning to Launch iPhone 5, But Timeframe Unknown

[Shade12]

Originally Posted by rcjh22

What about T-Mobile?

Right ? What the hell is wrong with you apple add t mobile.

[Beezzy]

Originally Posted by rcjh22

What about T-Mobile?

You can buy a Verizon iPhone 5, they come factory unlocked for GSM networks.

[FieldingMellish]

I inquired about iphone 5 on Virgin a month or so ago and wound up talking to someone on another continent who was clueless.

[segfaultdotorg]

Originally Posted by Tiger8

Does Straighttalk have a nano sim yet? I thought they are holding off??

No, but you can cut the micro SIM down to nano size. Reports indicate that you don't need to file it down to make it thinner in order for it to fit in the iPhone 5.

On a cell phone with limited data that I'm not using for tethering, I'm happy with anything above 0.5 megabit per second or so. I wouldn't be happy if I were on the fringes of getting a signal, as VMo's maps indicate I might be. I'm very happy with Straight Talk so far, and will probably stay with them due to the better coverage compared to VMo.

[yeah]

Originally Posted by darkslide29

Buy a GSM unlocked (when available) phone directly from Apple and take it to T-Mobile, they will provide you with a SIM.

You won't get LTE obviously, but some markets (including the San Francisco Bay Area) are getting 3G HSPA+ compatibility with the same frequency band that AT&T uses, so that you aren't stuck on Edge speeds.

In the long term, T-Mobile should start rolling out LTE sometime in 2013, but I wouldn't necessarily be counting on it.

Why would I waste $650, when I could just buy a new iPhone 5 on contract for $200 and have my parents pay for the bill.

[btcutter]

What's the point of buying an LTE phone on a carrier without LTE or HSPA +??

Someone enlighten me?

[malman89]

Originally Posted by shayansalehi

Does someone care??

As a Virgin Mobile user for the past 16-17 months, I do. However, the iPhone 5 will probably be too absurdly priced on VM for me to bother.

[ktappe]

Originally Posted by btcutter

What's the point of buying an LTE phone on a carrier without LTE or HSPA +??

Someone enlighten me?

Because LTE is not the only (new) feature of the iPhone 5, so some may buy it for other features and not care about (or be able to use) LTE. There are plenty of other features that not everyone uses (many don't install custom apps, some don't use GPS/Maps, some don't use Calendar, etc.) So why *must* everyone use LTE? What if you, for example, don't live in an area that has LTE from any carrier? Then you might as well use Virgin Mobile because you'll be getting the same slow speeds as other carriers for half the cost.

[jb510]

Oh shiney... this is actually really appealing to me.

I was about to switch from AT&T (iPhone 4) to Verizon (iPhone 5), but honestly I could care less about 4G/LTE on my phone. I have a Verizon LTE ipad and it works great and I can tether to it if I ever need. I'd be perfectly happy with a 3G limited iPhone 5 that was WAY cheaper than a contract with AT&T or Verizon.

[Adam22]

I have a sprint iphone 5 would I be able to cancel my plan and move over to virgin? The fee that I'd have to pay would be like 300$ so fee +200$ that I payed would be like I payed full price for iPhone 5 and jus go to virgins 30$ a
Month? ...... Does anyone know if a sprint iphone 5 would work for virgin?

[Maddix]

Originally Posted by Adam22

I have a sprint iphone 5 would I be able to cancel my plan and move over to virgin? The fee that I'd have to pay would be like 300$ so fee +200$ that I payed would be like I payed full price for iPhone 5 and jus go to virgins 30$ a
Month? ...... Does anyone know if a sprint iphone 5 would work for virgin?

There going to do what's financially beneficial for them, not you.

[Bniel71403]

Originally Posted by Adam22

I have a sprint iphone 5 would I be able to cancel my plan and move over to virgin? The fee that I'd have to pay would be like 300$ so fee +200$ that I payed would be like I payed full price for iPhone 5 and jus go to virgins 30$ a
Month? ...... Does anyone know if a sprint iphone 5 would work for virgin?

I don't think so
As a virgin mobile user on their Facebook page, a lot of ppl post this question and they say it has to be a virgin purchased phone. So you'd be out what you paid and your termination fee, and then whatever you pay for the virgin iPhone. I know it sucks

[Tiger8]

Originally Posted by segfaultdotorg

No, but you can cut the micro SIM down to nano size. Reports indicate that you don't need to file it down to make it thinner in order for it to fit in the iPhone 5.

On a cell phone with limited data that I'm not using for tethering, I'm happy with anything above 0.5 megabit per second or so. I wouldn't be happy if I were on the fringes of getting a signal, as VMo's maps indicate I might be. I'm very happy with Straight Talk so far, and will probably stay with them due to the better coverage compared to VMo.

Thanks man! Guess all I need now is wait for the unlocked iPhone 5, supposedly coming this month. I saw some people selling nano sims for straight talk on ebay, guess they have cutters

[Tiger8]

Originally Posted by Adam22

I have a sprint iphone 5 would I be able to cancel my plan and move over to virgin? The fee that I'd have to pay would be like 300$ so fee +200$ that I payed would be like I payed full price for iPhone 5 and jus go to virgins 30$ a
Month? ...... Does anyone know if a sprint iphone 5 would work for virgin?

Act quick! You are still on the 14 day no penalty period, you can return the phone terminate service no questions asked, contract is not binding yet.

If I were you I'd get a crappy cheap phone from virgin temporarily until hey get the iPhone, then upgrade to the 5

[Adam22]

Originally Posted by Tiger8

Act quick! You are still on the 14 day no penalty period, you can return the phone terminate service no questions asked, contract is not binding yet.

If I were you I'd get a crappy cheap phone from virgin temporarily until hey get the iPhone, then upgrade to the 5

Bad thing is I wanted to do that because I got a mall scuff on band and don't think they will take iphone back

[japasneezemonk]

I'm definitely getting the iPhone 5 on Virgin Mobile. As far as data speeds go, as long as their comparable to my current 3G speeds on At&t i'll be happy. $30/month for data+voice is a steal.

[doboy]

Originally Posted by japasneezemonk

I'm definitely getting the iPhone 5 on Virgin Mobile. As far as data speeds go, as long as their comparable to my current 3G speeds on At&t i'll be happy. $30/month for data+voice is a steal.

Unfortunately VM 3G speeds are nowhere near AT&T's 3G speeds. I've had iPhone 4 on AT&T for about a year before switching to VM (different phone). Highest speed I ever got on VM was ~1.2 Mbps (~0.5 Mbps avg) while I frequently got 5-7 Mbps on the iPhone with AT&T. However, $30 plan on VM is a good deal even if you have to pay full price for the phone especially if you frequently use wifi.

[macs4nw]

Originally Posted by ktappe

If you assume most iPhone users pay $75/month, a $30 plan would save them $45/month. That means the initial monetary outlay for the iPhone 5 would be made up in 14-18 months, depending on which model you buy. After that it's all money in the bank. You'd be a minimum of $270 ahead after two years. Of course, this all assumes that the $30/month quote includes both voice and data. (Since iMessage came about, I don't think we need include texting in calculations anymore.)

Interesting calculation; something to think about before signing any two-year contract. Using these calculations, one could upgrade every year at minimal cost. If you kept it in good shape and realized 50-60% upon resale of the old one, you could upgrade for free. Hopefully the un-locked iPhone will be available soon.

It's really surprising how many wireless providers now carry iPhones; that must sooner or later translate into lower monthly charges, one would hope.

[jasonv1]

$25/month plan with unlimited data (throttled after 2.5 GB), 300 minutes voice, unlimited texts.

That leaves an awful lot of money left over for other things, compared the price of contract/subsidized plans (even with employee discounts, which I have for each of the "big 4" carriers).

The speeds could be faster, but they are just fine for the most common smartphone tasks.

Originally Posted by jimi78

If Sprint sucks for data speeds in the States why would anyone pick this phone up for Virgin? Virgin is constrained to the same horrible speeds that Sprint has right? This news seems like moot in my opinion.

[Tiger8]

Originally Posted by Adam22

Bad thing is I wanted to do that because I got a mall scuff on band and don't think they will take iphone back

They have to take the phone back, but act fast, you are running out of time:

http://www.sprint.com/landings/returns/

[DrNot]

Originally Posted by darkslide29

Buy a GSM unlocked (when available) phone directly from Apple and take it to T-Mobile, they will provide you with a SIM.

You won't get LTE obviously, but some markets (including the San Francisco Bay Area) are getting 3G HSPA+ compatibility with the same frequency band that AT&T uses, so that you aren't stuck on Edge speeds.

In the long term, T-Mobile should start rolling out LTE sometime in 2013, but I wouldn't necessarily be counting on it.

Don't be stupid and DO NOT get T-Mobile either. A fool and his money is soon parted. Think about this for a minute. With T-Mobile you have to pay full price for the iPhone elsewhere and then T-Mobile will charge you $50 per month minimum for only 200MB - (yes that is far less than a 1GB).

If you want more, you'll have to pay $60, $70 a month - this is the same price you'll get from the other carriers and you won't have to pay full phone price and you will get faster speeds.

So to recap, T-Mobile will charge you the same as other carriers, you have to pay full price for your phone and you won't get faster speed. It just makes sense to pay $60/month get the phone for only $199 and experience faster LTE. Or choose T-Mobile and spend $650 for your phone plus $70 a month for the slower speed.

I looked on line today but T-Mobile has changed their bring your phone plan but it's still not competitive.

----------

Originally Posted by FieldingMellish

I inquired about iphone 5 on Virgin a month or so ago and wound up talking to someone on another continent who was clueless.

The iPhone 5 has been available with Virgin Mobile since day 1 - in Australia and Canada.

----------

Originally Posted by doboy

Unfortunately VM 3G speeds are nowhere near AT&T's 3G speeds. I've had iPhone 4 on AT&T for about a year before switching to VM (different phone). Highest speed I ever got on VM was ~1.2 Mbps (~0.5 Mbps avg) while I frequently got 5-7 Mbps on the iPhone with AT&T. However, $30 plan on VM is a good deal even if you have to pay full price for the phone especially if you frequently use wifi.

I have a blackberry on T-Mobile - it's faster if you use wifi but T-Mobile still charges you the same rate even though you are technically using Verizon Fios and not T-Mobile towers. Why would anyone want to go to T-Mobile???

----------

Originally Posted by Tiger8

I used to be Sprint's biggest advocate on this board (check my older posts), we had an awsome first 10 months, but the past two months have been absolutely horrendous, and with the iPhone 5 launch I decided to break my contract and go prepaid with an iPhone 5 (and sell the 4s)

So, which carrier do you have as your prepaid iPhone 5 with?

----------

Originally Posted by malman89

As a Virgin Mobile user for the past 16-17 months, I do. However, the iPhone 5 will probably be too absurdly priced on VM for me to bother.

You do know that even after the 2 year contract is up - you have already paid for your phone in full and the carrier has already made a killing on the higher subsidized price, you will still be paying for the phone (same high rate) as long as you use your phone.

In other words - long after you have paid for the phone, you will still be paying for the phone. But with VM $30 - you will not.

[jimsowden]

This is really awesome news, I'm on board the second a 32gb black goes on sale (assuming the GSM is unlocked like in the Verizon model). My big question is if/how it will work on Sprint's forthcoming LTE network. Virgin just introduced their first "4G" phone, working on WiMax. I'm hoping they treat LTE the same, meaning data is just data no matter what network it's delivered from, no surcharge for LTE.

[justinkaisse]

Originally Posted by jasonv1

$25/month plan with unlimited data (throttled after 2.5 GB), 300 minutes voice, unlimited texts.

That leaves an awful lot of money left over for other things, compared the price of contract/subsidized plans (even with employee discounts, which I have for each of the "big 4" carriers).

The speeds could be faster, but they are just fine for the most common smartphone tasks.

My concern with keeping w/ VM w/ iPhone5 is... will the data ever be good? I mean, its fine now, and my coverage is good. I started in NYC and now am in Hartford, CT but have gone to Boston, Buffalo, DC, PR... all good coverage. Just, data could be faster.

The specific question: If I get an iPhone5 in, say, JAN, when Sprint rolls out LTE here, will I be able to take advantage? Should I just jump to StraightTalk?

I did the 300 min for several months; went to 1200 as when I was looking for a job would come close to going over... ON INTERVIEW CALLS ha ha. I could probably go back to 300 min now.

You can restart your month any time; so, if you are close for a month, say 15 days into a month of especially high usage, you can essentially say that month was a 15 day month and start over. They warn you with SMS, very flexible. Then, 30 days later, your month will start again. Unless you need to restart it before.

If you have the time to monitor things like this, its a very useful way of doing things. I am single father of a toddler, and don't always have time to reset the phone month. It was u$25 at the time, and moving to $45 was worth the peace of mind and one less task with which to deal. If you have more time, you will probably be able to manage this better.

My current Android phone is OK and I can wait. But, I'm kinda chomping at the bit to change as internal memory is maxed and I can't update my existing apps. I'm down to a couple apps that I use all the time.

All said, VM has been fine for me.

[clavier223]

If you can live with the VM network with 300 min/month, then you can see that the savings are the clear winner here:

Virgin Mobile iPhone 5 16GB - $650
plan - $30/mo (300 min)
after a year - $1010 ($2.77/day)
after 2 years - $1370 ($1.88/day)
after 3 years - $1730 ($1.58/day)
after 4 years - $2090 ($1.43/day)

Virgin Mobile iPhone 5 64GB - $850
plan - $30/mo (300 min)
after a year - $1210 ($3.32/day)
after 2 years - $1570 ($2.15/day)
after 3 years - $1930 ($1.76/day)
after 4 years - $2290 ($1.57/day)

Straight Talk iPhone 5 16GB - $650
plan - $495/year (unlimited) + $15 nano SIM card
after a year - $1160 ($3.18/day)
after 2 years - $1655 ($2.27/day)
after 3 years - $2150 ($1.96/day)
after 4 years - $2645 ($1.81/day)

Sprint iPhone 5 16GB - $200
plan - $80/mo (450 min)
after a year - $1160 ($3.18 per day)
after 2 years - $2120 ($2.90 per day)
after 3 years - $3080 ($2.81 per day)
after 4 years - $4040 ($2.77 per day)

Of course, the iPhone 5 prices are based on current price points, so I'm guessing that they'd stay the same once the unlocked version comes out. I'm also guessing that ST will come out with a nano SIM at the same price point.

The way I figured it, add up the price of the phone with the plan, and then calculate the overall cost over a period of time. So, even though the device is cheaper with a contract carrier, it'll be way more expensive overall.

But for some reason, "unlocked" and "no contract" are sometimes confused - these are not the same thing.

[doboy]

Originally Posted by DrNot

Don't be stupid and DO NOT get T-Mobile either. A fool and his money is soon parted. Think about this for a minute. With T-Mobile you have to pay full price for the iPhone elsewhere and then T-Mobile will charge you $50 per month minimum for only 200MB - (yes that is far less than a 1GB).

If you want more, you'll have to pay $60, $70 a month - this is the same price you'll get from the other carriers and you won't have to pay full phone price and you will get faster speeds.

So to recap, T-Mobile will charge you the same as other carriers, you have to pay full price for your phone and you won't get faster speed. It just makes sense to pay $60/month get the phone for only $199 and experience faster LTE. Or choose T-Mobile and spend $650 for your phone plus $70 a month for the slower speed.

I looked on line today but T-Mobile has changed their bring your phone plan but it's still not competitive.

Very true except you can get a $30 prepaid "Walmart" plan that gives you 100 min/unlimited text/unlimited data (5GB throttled). However, you won't get 3/4G on the iPhone in most places.