T-Mobile USA's iPhone 5 Sales Hit 500,000 Units

[Vanilla35]

If by "so close" you mean almost half a year away... then yes... we are "so close."

Honestly. It is really dumb for some to be putting off an iPhone purchase right now to wait for a new iPhone model to be released in about 5 months.

When it comes to people's mindset for things the majority of people think of their general "year" as Fall through Spring. The summer (whether that ends up being 4-5 months or not) is not a significant amount of time in most people's minds. That being said, you also have to keep in mind that there are definitely a lot of people who just upgrade whenever an upgrade comes along in their family line. Think of iPhone users as Women and Non tech people. Whenever an upgrade comes along, they want the latest phone. Unless it's within a month or two, they don't care to wait...

Also, the iPhone 5 is the first super fast iPhone that also has a comparable screen (new screen really is quite nice compared to the 4s imo) and has LTE. First very high standard iPhone imo.

Unbelievable that T-Mobile / Telekom is in any way successful in the US.

Such a **** company here in germany.

I can see them being of lower quality compared to other European phone companies. They strive here because they continue to push trends going in the OPPOSITE direction to major carriers (AT&T, Verizon). Thankfully they have been the only company to offer what I see as the only fair plans out there right now for non big family plans. Bring your own phone (no contract) is great. So is their unlimited data/msg/mins. Right now, if you do not have a family plan (and only families of 5+ benefit from shared data), you are going to pay $90 a month for data/msg/mins with AT&T or Verizon. Absolutely ridiculous.

I'm on AT&T with a family of 3, but if I could guarantee T-Mobile was as good of quality service (Quality call, LTE coverage, etc.), I may switch at some point.

 

[identity]

T-Mobile is contract free. You just pay all the costs upfront or get a loan for 2years

All phones are contract free if you buy them straight up lol!

 

[azentropy]

If by "so close" you mean almost half a year away... then yes... we are "so close."

Honestly. It is really dumb for some to be putting off an iPhone purchase right now to wait for a new iPhone model to be released in about 5 months.

If you are coming from nothing? sure. But for many the step from a 4s to a 5 isn't a big enough upgrade to get now and being stuck with for 2 years vs. waiting for the 5s.

 

[Shanpdx]

LTE rollout

now t-mobile should accelerate the LTE rollout and 3G refarmed coverage also.

Thats a lots of iPhone 5s.

iPhone 5 without LTE is like iPhone 4S/4

Waiting patiently here in Portland OR.

 

[bozzykid]

All phones are contract free if you buy them straight up lol!

The poster is saying the plans are without a contract. Not the phones.

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Honestly 500K seems low to me when the iPhone sells millions and millions of units a month.

That isn't low at all. A phone released 6 months ago selling 500,000 in one month on a carrier smaller than AT&T/Verizon that doesn't do phone subsidies seems low to you? AT&T sold about 1.5 million/month when the iPhone 5 was released. So T-Mobile did quite well for themselves.

 

[Taz Mangus]

Remember that at T-Mobile, the iPhone is essentially unsubsidized. I think a half million units in a month is pretty impressive, considering customers had to fork over a lot more cash up front than with subsidizing carriers.

There are 2 choices the user can do:
1) Pay all upfront
2) Pay a portion upfront and month interest free loan payments for 24 months.

I would think that most of the 500K will choose option #2. The upfront for option #2 is $99/$199/$299 which is cheaper then most of the other major carriers are charging. I like the trade-in program that T-Mobile offers. I just traded in 2 Sprint iPhone 4S and now the phone loan is reduced down to 12 months on 2 iPhone 5.

And before anyone tells me, yes I know I could have sold it on-line. T-Mobile actually gave a fair amount to me for 4S. The Sprint version does not fetch as much as the AT&T and Verizon iPhone 4S.

 

[gshoq]

now t-mobile should accelerate the LTE rollout and 3G refarmed coverage also.

Thats a lots of iPhone 5s.

iPhone 5 without LTE is like iPhone 4S/4

Waiting patiently here in Portland OR.

Luckily LTE is supposedly coming to parts of Los Angeles in May and June. If you have seen "4G" speeds, you will certainly be excited about LTE.

I have used both iPhone 4 and 5 recently and 5 has two major technical/network benefits realized by AWS compatibility: wider "4G" coverage and improved building penetration. On the former, I'm getting 4G coverage virtually 100% of the time around the greater LA area. The data speed typically ranges from 10-20 Mbps. Oh my iPhone 4, I was getting speeds betwen 5-10Mbps when I am in refarmed areas. I'm not sure if the speed is device-dependent, network-dependent, or both, but I believe iphone 5 is capable of 42Mbps HSPA+ reception (and can thus can take advantage of it on AWS) whereas iPhone 4 is not. Building penetration is much improved. I can confidently say I only see "E" when I'm inside an elevator or a considerable distance away from the windows when inside a tall office building.

 

[Taz Mangus]

now t-mobile should accelerate the LTE rollout and 3G refarmed coverage also.

Thats a lots of iPhone 5s.

iPhone 5 without LTE is like iPhone 4S/4

Waiting patiently here in Portland OR.

I don't have LTE in Michigan yet but I am getting about 6MB/1MB speeds with T-Mobile 4G. I am happy at the moment with that data speed.

 

[Taz Mangus]

All phones are contract free if you buy them straight up lol!

The poster was referring to the fact that, with T-Mobile, you never have to pay a ETF. Of course paid upfront iPhone is contract free. Take that contract free iPhone to AT&T, Verizon and Sprint and you pay the same each month as the subsidized iPhone.

 

[GoCubsGo]

The common person knows the iPhone 5 has been out quite a while. Unless you have no friends that is. The marketing blitz of a new iPhone creates real results that you can't deny. Having the phone come out on a carrier many months later does not have that kind of buzz. Even so, 500,000 in one month is probably right at or just above T-Mobile expectations.

A common person may not know and having friends has nothing to do with it. I'm holding by what I've said previously.

 

[Tiger8]

All phones are contract free if you buy them straight up lol!

That's the biggest scheme for the big 3: pay $700 for your phone, yet keep paying them $90 ($30 monthly subsidy) for a phone you already paid for.

That's why T-Mo is different.

 

[Shanpdx]

I don't have LTE in Michigan yet but I am getting about 6MB/1MB speeds with T-Mobile 4G. I am happy at the moment with that data speed.

it is not the speed, more of latency and response time. LTE is very quick in any carrier. Mostly for mobile phones you would not need higher speed but it is great if you have smaller latency and hence fast response.

Also battery life also slightly better with LTE compared to 4G.

 

[charlituna]

Not bad at all considering we are so close to the iPhone 5S, and most are aware of it.

I think you mean not bad considering

1. Rumors that a new iphone is coming in June/July
2. Reality that the new iphone is coming in Sept/Oct
3. Reality that any unlocked ATT phone works on T-Mobile so who knows how many folks just bought an unlocked iphone 5 when it launched for such purposes.

That's what you meant right

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You make no allowance for the fact that any purchase of a phone so close to an update will tie many into a 2 year contract with a phone that will be 'obsolete' [in Apples eyes] when the iPhone 6 will arrive and be unable to upgrade within their current contract.

Tied into a contract is not 'obsolete' in Apple's eyes. That is a very specific term used to designate items that are so old it is no longer financially sound for Apple or the user to bother putting more money into repairing it. And it's 5 years after it discontinues before an item reaches that point.

Before then an item might be no longer sold, it might reach a point where it is no longer supported by new software updates. But that is NOT obsolete in Apple's eyes.

Unlike much of the public around here that thinks as soon as something new comes out what they have is 'obsolete' and non functioning

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Whats the deal with that pink stuff coming out of the pipe?

its from their new ad about how their internet is better than ATT. They show themselves as a gushing geyser of pink and ATT is a little trickle of blue

 

[iMikeT]

Not too shabby.

 

[charlituna]

Honestly 500K seems low to me when the iPhone sells millions and millions of units a month.

That's in 2 weeks. For a carrier that could be used with any unlocked phone (covering much if not most of the existing T users). And with a phone that will be replaced in six months so why wouldn't folks just ride out their current contract until then and switch with no ETF and get the latest thing.

I'd say under those factors that's pretty good

 

[WestonHarvey1]

There are 2 choices the user can do:
1) Pay all upfront
2) Pay a portion upfront and month interest free loan payments for 24 months.

I would think that most of the 500K will choose option #2. The upfront for option #2 is $99/$199/$299 which is cheaper then most of the other major carriers are charging. I like the trade-in program that T-Mobile offers. I just traded in 2 Sprint iPhone 4S and now the phone loan is reduced down to 12 months on 2 iPhone 5.

And before anyone tells me, yes I know I could have sold it on-line. T-Mobile actually gave a fair amount to me for 4S. The Sprint version does not fetch as much as the AT&T and Verizon iPhone 4S.

And T-Mobile gives you a $20 discount off the full price of the phone, whether you pay outright or over the 24 months.

What I'd like to know, and can't quite figure out Googling, is will they buy back your phones in perpetuity? Trying to understand if you can just go ahead and get the latest iPhone every year and not have to even think about it.

 

[Mike Valmike]

Unbelievable that T-Mobile / Telekom is in any way successful in the US.

Such a **** company here in germany.

Oh, I assure you, T-Mobile is a **** company here in the States as well.

 

[Taz Mangus]

Oh, I assure you, T-Mobile is a **** company here in the States as well.

In what regard?

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And T-Mobile gives you a $20 discount off the full price of the phone, whether you pay outright or over the 24 months.

What I'd like to know, and can't quite figure out Googling, is will they buy back your phones in perpetuity? Trying to understand if you can just go ahead and get the latest iPhone every year and not have to even think about it.

The discount is actually $70, $99+$480=$579 vs $649 from Apple. The same discount for the 32GB and the 64GB versions.

 

[hexonxonx]

Oh, I assure you, T-Mobile is a **** company here in the States as well.

For some people, not for all.

I broke my AT&T and Verizon contracts a few months back to go with T-Mobile because I was so impressed with the data speeds.

 

[AppleMark]

Tied into a contract is not 'obsolete' in Apple's eyes. That is a very specific term used to designate items that are so old it is no longer financially sound for Apple or the user to bother putting more money into repairing it. And it's 5 years after it discontinues before an item reaches that point.

Before then an item might be no longer sold, it might reach a point where it is no longer supported by new software updates. But that is NOT obsolete in Apple's eyes.

Unlike much of the public around here that thinks as soon as something new comes out what they have is 'obsolete' and non functioning

Post #38 further clarifies my position on this, I am not interested in the official policy, but the reality.

For example, not supporting a function on an older device by claiming that it can only be used on a new device. Yet same device can be Jailbroken to perform said function is rendering a device obsolete in anybody's eyes surely?.

Yes and in "Apples eyes", as by the very act of not supporting a device whilst promoting a new device to sell to us they are doing just that. They need to, so they can keep making billions of $. It is a business and that is what businesses need to do to survive....Sell. However Apple have moved on from needing to merely survive.

However, you will never see an advert from Apple saying "buy the new iPhone 'X' it does all the same things your old iPhone 'X' does just a little faster with a new case".

Instead they often 'cripple' the outgoing device through partial updates and omitting "killer features" which prevent it from fulfilling it's potential to entice you to upgrade.

I remember my 1st iPad, apparently Apple said that it cannot support HDMI mirroring and subsequently refused to support it claiming all sort of nonsense including damage to the unit. But the new one did!

That iPad is still very much alive and kicking and is used to mirror movies to our spare TV. I do not want to get into the "planned obsolescence" debate here, as it seems to upset too many fanboys on these forums.

I am only interested in what Apple actually do to make something obsolete 'in their eyes'. Not what they say they do 'in their eyes'.

FYI - I upgraded from Original to 3GS to 4GS. I only upgraded to 4GS because my 3GS failed and often became jittery (freezing and battery issues even after new battery) and updates designed primarily for newer iPhones. Not planning to buy a new phone until 6, but you never know... what 'killer' features the iOS7 update will not allow my current phone to do.

Try to see past the reality distortion field.

 

[Four oF NINE]

If by "so close" you mean almost half a year away... then yes... we are "so close."

Honestly. It is really dumb for some to be putting off an iPhone purchase right now to wait for a new iPhone model to be released in about 5 months.

I suppose that depends on what you already have. I have the 64 gb iPhone 4S that I successfully ordered on day of release, and I'm perfectly content to wait for the 5S. It does what I need it to do, and it's an amazing phone. The 'S' releases are the ones that fix the bugs and add upgrades to the latest form factor.

 

[Dominicanyor]

I'm still holding on to my 4s.

 

[Terrin]

Honestly 500K seems low to me when the iPhone sells millions and millions of units a month.

It is pretty high considering the iPhone has been out six months, t-mobile has only 33 million subscribers, and the iPhone has only been on T-Mobile for about a month.

 

[bozzykid]

A common person may not know and having friends has nothing to do with it. I'm holding by what I've said previously.

So when a new iPhone comes out, no one goes out to buy one? There aren't lines at every Apple Store? I'm confused by what you are saying.

 

[dampfnudel]

Remember that at T-Mobile, the iPhone is essentially unsubsidized. I think a half million units in a month is pretty impressive, considering customers had to fork over a lot more cash up front than with subsidizing carriers.

I wonder if Verizon and/or AT&T will offer something similar to what T-Mobile now offers prior to the next iPhone being released?