FollowApple was already accepting orders on Thursday for the factory unlocked versions of iPhone 5 via its U.S. online store.
With unlocked or contract-free iPhone 5, users do not need to be tied up with network contracts which are usually two years. However, they just have to be ready to pay a one-time item price for the unlocked model which is about $649 to $849 for the 16GB and 64 GB models respectively. Orders are limited to two units per customer and follow the one-week ship-by times of Sprint, AT&T and Verizon.
Posted on the company’s informational web page, the company explains how the unlocked iPhone works, and that users shall receive its features without any wireless contract. CDMA networks such as those run by Sprint and Verizon are not supported by unlocked iPhones. The device does not come with any SIM card so the owner needs to just insert it with any SIM card that is supported by GSM carrier all over the world.
Apple’s iPhone 5 debuted in September with 4G LTE. It has a faster A6 processor, free turn-by-turn navigation and a design that is top-to-bottom which makes the screen thinner and longer. The whole device unit is also lighter.
It has been reported that this unlocked version of iPhone 5 which has been promised to be released in December is the last lucrative rumor for its manufacturing company, and shall lead Apple way ahead against competitors with the 2012 final blast that it is likely to generate. Apple has been leading the smartphone industry for many years. With several high-end Android smartphones being released recently, how Apple continues to hold the top spot remains to be seen.
