Wrong. Yes they are locked to the carrier of the first SIM you put in but most if not all carriers will unlock them. When and how much they charge will vary though.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
UK iPhone 5s and 5c Thread
- Thread starter Taylor-C
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Wrong. Yes they are locked to the carrier of the first SIM you put in but most if not all carriers will unlock them. When and how much they charge will vary though.
I did exactly that last Friday. I don't regret it at all. O2 served me OK for four years, but I don't feel they did their homework with 4G and the iPhone 5s. I couldn't believe my ears that they had none in stock in any of their stores.
EE had 5s phones in stock yesterday in Sheffield (not sure which colour and capacity, they didn't have any gold ones on Friday). Just ring your local store. Good luck!
I'm guessing they have a lot of applications to process and it would take time to show on Apple's system as the loans are accepted & processed by a third party. Those time-scales for a loan are actually pretty good.
Thanks for the info, I don't make a lot of calls so would be in a similar position to yourself as a mainly data user.
On a related matter does anyone know how long it takes to cancel, get PAC code, switch provider, etc. I really don't want to be without any mobile comms whilst getting number moved to a new provider....considering just starting with a new number and letting people know...
That's what I was going to say. They are an American company so obviously they are going to try and satisfy demand in the US before anywhere else. We are lucky they decided to do a simultaneous worldwide release. They could have staggered the lacuna with the US getting them first may be a week or several weeks before any other country or region. My only gripe is that they should have fulfilled online orders before stocking them in retail.
I got the code on Thursday, bought the phone on Friday and gave them the PAC code. Since noon today the number has been transferred. It takes a day during the week (I went to the EE store in the morning).
3 are launching their LTE network in December, and won't be charging premium fees for 4G like EE, O2 and Vodafone.
I'll be switching to them from EE's 20GB plan as soon as it launches. Their "all you can eat" data tariff sounds perfect on 4G, and might work out a better deal for you.
I experience the same issues with EE quite a fair bit whilst in London. I'll even receive missed call notifications via text message whilst my phone is on, or it will refuse to make a call without switching to Airplane Mode and back again.
I understand that, they quoted a ship window of October 8th when I ordered it.
It's just a little disappointing it won't be anywhere near that now.
yep on that point, one guy in the office has been on three and said he'll never change because of the "all you can eat" data tariff. I said I bet you're either not using much or if you are, they'll start limiting you.
So he called up his usage for the last year and he's been using nearly 50GB each month with no hassle whatsoever from three. Quite HOW he uses that much without doing tethering or anything else is a bit of a puzzle, but certainly he's delighted with three's service.
This is utter ********* from Apple.
I ordered my phone at 12:03am last Friday. I was quoted "7-10 days". It still says that, but I now I also have an estimate of "between Oct 7 and Oct 10". How is that 7-10 days from September 20th? That's 23 days!
Ignoring:
* the limited stock debacle (why release a phone if you can't meet demand?)
* the lack of pre-orders (I refuse to queue up for a phone launch)
* the fact that they're handing out stock to other networks before their direct customers
* buyers in other countries wait just a couple of days.
My biggest gripe is that they LIED when I ordered my phone. Why would I order something that won't be delivered for 21 days?
I'm upgrading from their last phone (the 5 in this case), as I do every year. The primary reason to do this is that I get a good quote for the phone before its successor is announced. Last year, I got £300 for my iPhone 4S which cut the fee for the iPhone 5 in half.
This year...Well, trying to get a similar quote for the 5 has been a nightmare as, with no idea when my new phone would arrive, I didn't know when I'd be able to sell it on. I'd had to stick it on eBay on a 7 day auction.
That auction ends tonight. Tomorrow I will send off my phone. And then...I will wait about TWO WEEKS for my next one to arrive.
I ordered my phone at 12:03am last Friday. I was quoted "7-10 days". It still says that, but I now I also have an estimate of "between Oct 7 and Oct 10". How is that 7-10 days from September 20th? That's 23 days!
Ignoring:
* the limited stock debacle (why release a phone if you can't meet demand?)
* the lack of pre-orders (I refuse to queue up for a phone launch)
* the fact that they're handing out stock to other networks before their direct customers
* buyers in other countries wait just a couple of days.
My biggest gripe is that they LIED when I ordered my phone. Why would I order something that won't be delivered for 21 days?
I'm upgrading from their last phone (the 5 in this case), as I do every year. The primary reason to do this is that I get a good quote for the phone before its successor is announced. Last year, I got £300 for my iPhone 4S which cut the fee for the iPhone 5 in half.
This year...Well, trying to get a similar quote for the 5 has been a nightmare as, with no idea when my new phone would arrive, I didn't know when I'd be able to sell it on. I'd had to stick it on eBay on a 7 day auction.
That auction ends tonight. Tomorrow I will send off my phone. And then...I will wait about TWO WEEKS for my next one to arrive.
Except it's not really a "simultaneous worldwide release"..
Comparing US vs UK, not only did the US online Apple store have stock from the midnight release time, which are now shipping, they have just updated the US online store with a 'personal pickup' option, effectively providing a stock checking facility for physical Apple stores.
UK Apple online customers are still twiddling their thumbs... waiting for the 7-10 October.
7-10 WORKING days for dispatch. Assume today is day 1 then the estimates are bang on.
Then, don't forget that on top of your dispatch date is the delivery times and they will no doubt come direct from china so 2 days delivery.
I actually expect delivery next week.
Then, don't forget that on top of your dispatch date is the delivery times and they will no doubt come direct from china so 2 days delivery.
I actually expect delivery next week.
Orders show that the phone will be dispatched between 7 & 10 business days. For business days read week days. Therefore, phones should be dispatched between 1st & 4th October. With a 1 - 3 day delivery window it should be 7th to 9th October.
While I agree that in total the amount of days you quote is correct, apples time scale uses only business (week) days as is correct.
You should have read it better. 7 - 10 working days. Which is 2 weeks. Plus then it ships from China - so add 2 - 4 days for that.
Just visited the Apple Store at Covent Garden and was greeted with the "ran out of 5S stock for today" message. I'll probably pop back every day this week in the hope of picking up one. If anyone else spots that they have stock at Covent Garden, please shout as I can be there in 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, I have a 5S on order via the Apple Store. All of my previous orders from them have arrived anywhere from a day (Macbook Air 11" 2013 BTO, post launch) to more than a week early (Retina Macbook Pro 15" 2012 BTO, at launch), with others in between, so I'd be very surprised if we're held to 7-10 October delivery window (or in my case 8-11 October as I was in the land of nod at midnight and ordered at 3am). While it would have been great if the UK had been given the same shipping priority as certain other parts of the world, a few days isn't going to make any difference to me.
Looking forward to receiving my new phone whichever way I finally obtain it. I've spent 9 months on an Android phone, having previously had an iPhone 4 but wanted to form my own view on the Android vs IOS debate. Been a great experience but I'm now keen to try out IOS7.
Meanwhile, I have a 5S on order via the Apple Store. All of my previous orders from them have arrived anywhere from a day (Macbook Air 11" 2013 BTO, post launch) to more than a week early (Retina Macbook Pro 15" 2012 BTO, at launch), with others in between, so I'd be very surprised if we're held to 7-10 October delivery window (or in my case 8-11 October as I was in the land of nod at midnight and ordered at 3am). While it would have been great if the UK had been given the same shipping priority as certain other parts of the world, a few days isn't going to make any difference to me.
Looking forward to receiving my new phone whichever way I finally obtain it. I've spent 9 months on an Android phone, having previously had an iPhone 4 but wanted to form my own view on the Android vs IOS debate. Been a great experience but I'm now keen to try out IOS7.
regarding 'business days', shipments are still moving on days like saturday and sunday, don't they?
i think apple gave us a later date on purpose
with a little bit of luck we can expect our phones by the end of next week.
i think apple gave us a later date on purpose
with a little bit of luck we can expect our phones by the end of next week.
I've been a sad little man this afternoon and have called EE stores, the majority of stores have the Space Grey 16GB, 32GB and 64GB in stock (hardly any with Silver/Gold).
I understand your pain. Im in the same boat ordered at 12:02am and got 7-10 days delivers 7th - 10th October.
Im using a cheap android and fed up of it till my iPhone 5S arrives.
Sell your iPhone 5 on ebay tonight. Go Apple shop in morning. Buy a iPhone 5C use it for 12 days till your 5S is ready or shipped and return it for your 14 days no questions asked refund!!!! Good idea or what!!
That depends what you mean by 'working days', or what Apple means by 'business days'. The Foxconn factory in Zhengzhou where 70% of iPhones are made runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and I expect the other factories do too. So what is a 'business day' or 'working day' in that context?
It doesn't matter what factories do, they said "business days", in the UK that is Monday to Friday.
it could matter for a dispatch from CHINA, air couriers are working 7 days a week and they do land 7 days a week in the UK as well.
i think by the end of next week, we'll get our phones
Last edited: