Apple has started selling the unlocked iPhone 5S through its online store, suggesting strong supply for the smartphone, at least for now.
Before Apple officially unveiled its latest flagship smartphone, various reports suggested that the iPhone 5S would face supply issues tied to the TouchID fingerprint scanner.
The company then made the official announcement, introducing its new iPhone 5S alongside the lower-specced iPhone 5C. In a surprising move, however, Apple put only the iPhone 5C up for pre-order, and not the iPhone 5S. This further bolstered rumors of supply issues for the new flagship, giving a first real indication of short supply.
When Apple finally started taking orders for the iPhone 5S, the Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint versions of the smartphone flew off the shelves in no time. Shipping times soon slipped from the initial 1-3 business days to a hefty 4-week wait, again suggesting supply constraints.
It now appears that Apple has managed to surpass this issue, as the company is now selling the iPhone 5S unlocked through its online store. The 16GB model of the smartphone costs $649, the 32GB version goes up to $749, while the 64GB variant costs $849. Apple is offering the unlocked iPhone 5S in a choice of Space Gray, Silver, and Gold. The offer is available only to interested buyers in the U.S. for now and it involves a wait period of up to 2 weeks.
As expected, the unlocked iPhone 5S is no different in terms of specs compared to the versions carriers have on offer. It's worth noting, however, that the unlocked model will work on AT&T and T-Mobile, but not with CDMA-based carriers such as Sprint and Verizon Wireless.
Apple is expected to start selling the unlocked iPhone 5S to more regions soon, but it has yet to make an official announcement in this regards. For now, it remains unclear which regions outside the U.S. will get the unlocked smartphone and when.
In the meantime, interested buyers in the U.S. can find the unlocked iPhone 5S in the Apple Store at this link. The 1-2 weeks wait is not ideal, but it's definitely better than the aforementioned 4-week wait.
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