Apple has some good news for its fans. Per reports, the unlocked iPhone 5 is now finally available from Apple in the U.S.
Apple has currently made the much-awaited unlocked iPhone 5 available in the U.S. on its Online Store. The unlocked device’s price range has been set at $649, $749, and $849 for the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB versions, respectively.
Similar to the previous releases, the unlocked phone is coming to the U.S. considerably later than Canada and some countries in Europe, where it went on sale in September alongside the carrier locked versions. Apple has also declared an estimated shipping time of one week, which means the device should arrive in time for the holidays. The unlocked models will work on both AT&T and T-Mobile.
“The unlocked iPhone includes all the features of iPhone but without a wireless contract commitment. You can activate and use iPhone on the supported GSM wireless network of your choice, such as AT&T in the United States. The unlocked iPhone 4, iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 will not work with CDMA-based carriers such as Verizon Wireless or Sprint,” the official Apple page states.
Per a 9to5Mac report, it was also stated that “Apple will sell the unlocked iPhone 5 in its chain of retail stores in the coming days, perhaps as soon as tomorrow. The devices have begun arriving in large quantities to Apple stores over the past couple of days.”
Apple also states that if any user doesn’t want a multi-year service contract, or if they prefer to use a local carrier when traveling abroad, the unlocked iPhone is the best choice. However, it does not come with a micro-SIM card for iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, or a nano-SIM card for iPhone 5, so any interested user will need to get one from any supported GSM carrier worldwide.
To start using the device, users will simply need to insert the card into the slot on their iPhone and turn it on by pressing and holding the On/Off button for a few seconds. To avoid scalpers, Apple is also limiting the sales to two devices per customer.
