Apple to Begin Selling Unlocked iPhone 5 Models in U.S. as Soon as Later Today

[FuNGi]

Let's do some math - total cost of ownership in two years

Straight talk: $650 + 24 x $45 = $1,730
AT&T: $199 + $36(activation)2 + 24 x ($40 voice + $20 text + $30 data) x 10% (TAX) = $2,611

So yes, you save $881 for a better plan

If you put it like that then why the fUUk would you NOT buy out of contract? I bought a used 64GB 4S so I would have the flexibility to switch prepaid carriers as I move back and forth from the US, Panama, and various other countries. If I was obsessed with the 5 I would definitely buy a 64GB slab out of contract.

 

[flux73]

How many different versions will there be? If only one, which LTE bands will it work on? AT&T's or Verizon's?

 

[futbalguy]

If you put it like that then why the fUUk would you NOT buy out of contract? I bought a used 64GB 4S so I would have the flexibility to switch prepaid carriers as I move back and forth from the US, Panama, and various other countries. If I was obsessed with the 5 I would definitely buy a 64GB slab out of contract.

well you wont get LTE speeds right?

 

[Tiger8]

If you put it like that then why the fUUk would you NOT buy out of contract? I bought a used 64GB 4S so I would have the flexibility to switch prepaid carriers as I move back and forth from the US, Panama, and various other countries. If I was obsessed with the 5 I would definitely buy a 64GB slab out of contract.

You are preaching to the choir. I think it's a psychological thing, people seem to be ok paying $90+ a month as long as they don't pay $650 for a phone upfront. Also, family plans are cheaper, and most big companies offer significant monthly discounts (i saw 30%) through one of the big 3

Some companies are also getting iPhones to their employees rather than a blackberry, so that's a free phone and a free monthly service for the employee.

I think the person that gets ********* is the average Joe who needs a single plan, as usual.

 

[SunnyRenegade33]

Yup

not an insignificant amt of savings and this is exactly what I do

What's the catch to using Straight Talk, though? Other than having to pay for a phone upfront?

Slower network speeds? Data throttled sooner? No insurance?


Straight Talk, from what you both imply seems too good to be true!

 

[usarioclave]

What's the catch to using Straight Talk, though? Other than having to pay for a phone upfront?

Slower network speeds? Data throttled sooner? No insurance?


Straight Talk, from what you both imply seems too good to be true!

No LTE.
There are reports of throttling/data termination after 2GB of data use.
MMS may not work (depends on the model/how you enable it).
No visual voicemail.
FaceTime over 3G works, needs hack.
Tethering requires a jailbreak and a 3rd party package.


You apparently can turn MMS, FaceTime, and Tethering via plists w/o jailbreaking. I haven't done that, info here:

http://wiki.howardforums.com/index.php/Straight_Talk_iPhone

I occasionally have problems with my data connection when moving from tower to tower. Togging airplane mode fixes the problem.

 

[Tiger8]

What's the catch to using Straight Talk, though? Other than having to pay for a phone upfront?

Slower network speeds? Data throttled sooner? No insurance?


Straight Talk, from what you both imply seems too good to be true!

I haven't tried it myself yet, but apparently they have terrible customer service, also, some users claim that even though it is 'unlimited', anyone who consumes more than 100 mb per day and/or 2 GB per month gets one warning, and then get their account suspended forever.

Some users say that they lost their number, though i doubt they can do that.

 

[SkoshOfSean]

What's the catch to using Straight Talk, though? Other than having to pay for a phone upfront?

Slower network speeds? Data throttled sooner? No insurance?


Straight Talk, from what you both imply seems too good to be true!

You will not get LTE. You have to manually set the APN settings, which isn't hard but can be confusing for some. It is not truly unlimited. If you use too much they might turn off your data until you call and talk to an agent. Nobody knows what the limit is, but if you stay under 2GB per month you are generally safe.

 

[onthecouchagain]

How would you know their actual cost of goods, administrative fees and their entire cost structure?

Please list everything you know and then we'll examine your totally unfounded statement.

While you are at figuring out that you don't know any specifics, please specify
what "ripping off" entails.

BTW: Whenever any manufacturer offers a product (whatever that is) and you cannot afford it or do not want to pay what they want to sell it for think before you post about "ripping off"

You're right. It's not a rip off. I rescind my statement.

 

[metaa]

I bought a full-price off-contract AT&T iphone for $699 ($750 w/ taxes) 3 days ago from BestBuy.

Do you think I should return it and go for the one from an Apple Store?

Also, I should mention that I live outside of the Unites States and haven't gotten the chance to test the AT&T iPhone 5 with my country's operators sim cards (so I don't know how iphone works with them).

 

[theanimaster]

I just picked up my unlocked iPhone last Monday here in Bangkok. They've been selling them for a while now. What gives?

 

[iMacian]

649$? Are you kidding me? It is 679€ in Europe.What the hell is Apple doing...

 

[Coleman2010]

Hmm,

I just bought a "device-only" AT&T GSM model yesterday.

Will that already be unlocked, or should I return it for one of these newer models?

If it's device only from Apple or an AT&T store it is already unlocked.

 

[jk1002]

I dont think this will happen today at 9PM.

For every little change apple usually takes the store down. Offering an unlocked iphone 5 would change the check out and ordering procedure for it.

They history shows they would do that early in the morning not in the evening ........

 

[marcelo4527]

Hello. Thanks for the comments. As far as hardware, I know the unlocked Verizon phone does not support voice and data at the same time. Is this a hardware limitation on that particular unlocked phone or a Verizon service issue? And I assume the unlocked phone that is factory direct DOES support voice and data at the same time. Thanks.

That's a carrier limitation, if you get a verizon iPhone 5 and put an AT&T in your verizon iPhone you will be able to support data and voice at the same time! That are many videos that prove that. So as long as the carrier supports that, you'll be able to do it with any iPhone 5

 

[upnorth85]

In the US prices are quoted excluding tax. I guess your Euro 679 includes VAT?

649$? Are you kidding me? It is 679€ in Europe.What the hell is Apple doing...

 

[Coleman2010]

How many different versions will there be? If only one, which LTE bands will it work on? AT&T's or Verizon's?

Model A1428
(GSM model)

LTE Band Support
4 (AWS)
17 (700b MHz)

United States & Canada LTE
AT&T LTE
Bell (including Virgin) LTE
Rogers (including Fido) LTE
Telus (including Koodo) LTE


Model A1429
(CDMA model)

LTE Band Support
1 (2100 MHz)
3 (1800 MHz)
5 (850 MHz)
13 (700c MHz)
25 (1900 MHz)

United States and Japan LTE
Sprint LTE
Verizon LTE
KDDI LTE

Read here:

http://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/

 

[petrucci666]

Uh you realize Straight Talk is re-branded AT&T cell service provided by Walmart?

lol, nice move switching to the same provider for more money...

Yes I do realize that, I did my research before going through all of it.

Had ATT first, then switched to Straight Talk. Straight Talk often had severe problems with their data connection making it unusable. I was essentially paying $45 for something that didn't work half the time and when it did, it would work slowly. Also, no LTE, no visual voicemail.

I rather pay $65 and have it work all the time, have LTE and visual voicemail.

Question for you - you do realize ATT cripples Straight Talk and doesn't offer their best to Straight Talk customers?

 

[SkoshOfSean]

I rather pay $65 and have it work all the time, have LTE and visual voicemail.

What AT&T contract plan are you on for $65?

 

[alphaod]

I've been buying unlocked phones since release day… just like it was for the iPhone 4S.

 

[sic139]

2 questions:

Is the unlocked iPhone model A1429 GSM?

is model A1429 CDMA also unable to use data & voice at a GSM network or does this hardware restriction only apply on CDMA networks?
Thanks!

 

[petrucci666]

What AT&T contract plan are you on for $65?

450 minutes - $39.99 (minus 23% FAN discount) = ~$30
3GB LTE - $30 (no FAN discount)
SMS Opt Out - 90% of my messages are iMessages anyway, for everything else I use either WhatsApp or Google Voice, it really isn't a pain.

My AT&T bill for this month is $69 total.

 

[SkoshOfSean]

You are lucky to have a FAN discount like that. For those without such a discount your plan would be about $80, or more depending where you live.

Here in New York State, taxes are about 20%. So your plan without a FAN discount would be about $84 per month.

450 minutes - $39.99 (minus 23% FAN discount) = ~$30
3GB LTE - $30 (no FAN discount)
SMS Opt Out - 90% of my messages are iMessages anyway, for everything else I use either WhatsApp or Google Voice, it really isn't a pain.

My AT&T bill for this month is $69 total.

----------

I don't know about model numbers, but my understanding that the unlocked iPhone 5 would be the same model as the AT&T iPhone.

2 questions:

Is the unlocked iPhone model A1429 GSM?

is model A1429 CDMA also unable to use data & voice at a GSM network or does this hardware restriction only apply on CDMA networks?
Thanks!

 

[TUD]

AT&T sticks it to me every month for $125.00 900 anytime minutes, Unlimited Data, & Unlimited Text. No discounts... Want an iPhone 5, but my 4S contact is not up until Fall of '13.

 

[SkoshOfSean]

Unless you need that truly unlimited data, do consider something like Straight Talk and buying full priced iPhone 5. At $45 a month you would save a lot of money in the long run.

AT&T sticks it to me every month for $125.00 900 anytime minutes, Unlimited Data, & Unlimited Text. No discounts... Want an iPhone 5, but my 4S contact is not up until Fall of '13.