Pricing and availability details have surfaced regarding the unlocked flavor of the iPhone 5. Like previous generations, the base 16GB iPhone 5 starts at $649 unlocked, with 32GB costing $749 and 64GB costing $849.
What about getting to pre-order an unlocked iPhone 5? Looks like you won’t be able to do so on the web this weekend. Your best bet is visiting an Apple retail store on launch day next week.
Update: Well, actually, the Lighting to 30-pin adapter does, in fact, carry an audio signal. It also has an analog to digital converter to make that happen. Thanks to the fine journalist Mike Rose at TUAW, we now can put this “controversy” to rest. The ‘iPod Out’ function is actually a feature that lets remote screens in cars or other devices share song info and other graphic displays from the iOS device. If you own a car with this functionality, you’ll still be able to listen to music via the Lightning to 30-Pin adapter, but you won’t get the same graphic display as before.
The source at CNN, below, was incorrect in their assumption, and I erroneously passed that along to you – my apologies.
Don’t have time to watch the full iPhone 5 keynote? Don’t worry! We’ve done the work for you and chopped down everything you need to see into just 90 seconds of fast paced product announcements. Check out the video right after the break.
Earlier today we told you that the Verizon iPhone 5 was the best choice to buy, but this news may change your mind. The Verizon and Sprint (CDMA) iPhone 5 will not be able to talk and surf the web at the same time, while the AT&T (GSM) iPhone 5 will. It’s been that way since the iPhone 4 debuted on Verizon back in 2010, but nothing has been officially said about the iPhone 5’s ability to talk and surf until now.
Verizon has confirmed that you won’t be able to use 3G or 4G LTE data while talking on the iPhone 5. Due to the fact that Verizon and Sprint both run on the CDMA network standard, this limitation assumedly extends to the iPhone 5 on Sprint as well.
You probably already know whether or not you’re going to buy the iPhone 5 by now, but how are you going to buy it? John Brownlee published his excellent guide on how to pre-order the iPhone 5 the right way, but is pre-ordering the best way to go? Yes, it’s the surest bet. If you pre-order early, you’re guaranteed to get your iPhone 5 on September 21st.
Here’s my dilemma though; my FedEx guy never shows up till 6pm, and during the iPad 3 launch there weren’t any lines at the Apple Store after 11am, so I just walked in and bought the new iPad and was out of the store in five minutes. I’m thinking that might be the case this year with the iPhone 5 too, but demand for the iPhone 5 is going to be higher than it was for the iPad 3. Do you think the lines at stores are going to be lower this year because everyone will pre-order? Which would you choose?
Preorders for the iPhone 5 start tomorrow, so it’s time to consider which model you’re going to drop your hard-earned cash on.
There are several things to consider when purchasing a new iPhone. The iPhone 5 you buy depends on your carrier preference, storage requirements, and most importantly, how much you’re willing to spend.
Still,
For a brief moment during yesterday’s keynote, Apple mentioned that along with some new LTE and battery wizardry, they were able to add support for “wideband audio” phone calls. Some tech people are calling it HD Voice, because it’s really just higher quality voicecalls.
The iPhone 5 supports HD Voice, but you’re never going to be able to use it in the U.S. right now, and you probably never will. Why? Well, there are a lot of messy technical details behind it, but here’s the simplest explanation.
With the announcement of a single piece of hardware, Apple has obsoleted thousands of iPhone accessories, almost overnight. Between the thinner, taller case and the new Lightning sync/power adapter, pretty much none of your old accessories (or any accessories you can currently buy) will fit the new iPhone.
Does it matter? Should you stop buying iPhone-specific accessories? Just how useful will these stop-gap adapters be? Find out with our iPhone 5 accessory guide.
Although Apple hasn’t directly confirmed the exact time yet, iPhone 5 preorders look set to begin tomorrow morning at 12:01AM PST, exactly… the same time iPhone 4S preorders started last year.
The iPhone 5 is slated to be Apple’s most wildly in-demand phone yet, and while Apple is attempting to balance the crush on their website by starting preorders in the middle of the night, it will, in all likelihood, still be a madhouse when Apple starts selling iPhones later tonight.
Hence this guide. We’re going to walk you through the best ways to make absolutely sure you get your iPhone 5 preordered right at the stroke of midnight and in your hands next Friday when it officially launches in the minimum amount of time, so you can go right back to sleep.
Wondering which iPhone 5 to buy? Check out our guide to finding the iPhone 5 that is right for you here.
We’ve been waiting to hear official word from Apple about when pre-orders for the iPhone 5 will begin, so we can set our alarms for tomorrow morning. Even though Cupertino has been silent on the matter so far, both Sprint and Verizon have confirmed that they will start taking pre-orders for the iPhone 5 at 12:01AM PST.