Hasta La Gadget!

Apple isn’t delaying bringing its latest iPhone to regional carriers this time around, with launches across the U.S. going out today, at a list of carriers that includes C Spire, Bluegrass Cellular, Appalachian Wireless, Alaska GCI, Cricket Wireless, Cellcom and nTelos Wireless. It’s a change from the way things used to work that’s significant for both the carriers and their customers, in a market when access to hardware is a key competitive metric.

All of the companies above are getting the iPhone 5 just one week after it’s going out to the big national networks of Verizon, AT&T and Sprint. That’s a lot faster than the 4S hit regional carriers last time around, and a world of difference away from what happened when the first iPhone arrived, and it was limited only to AT&T due to an exclusivity arrangement that lasted until the iPhone 4 came to Verizon in 2011.

I spoke with nTelos spokesman Mike Minnis, to find out what near-parity in terms of iPhone 5 launch times means for the carrier, and how customers have responded to the option of having the latest and greatest right away on networks that for many years were treated as second-class citizens, at least when it comes to Apple’s latest hardware.

“A week after the national carriers, to be able to offer our value proposition to our customers with the most iconic device in the world right now is a great opportunity for us,” he said. “For the first time, when the new iPhone was announced, we were able to announce on the same day that we’d provide it September 28, we were able to immediately start registering subscriber interest, and that response has been tremendous.”

The ability for smaller carriers like nTelos to say, ‘Hey, we’ve got that too,” should not be underestimated. Since AT&T introduced the iPhone in 2007, it’s seen subscriber growth of 14.9%. Compare that to just 4.69% growth for Verizon, and an actual dip of 3.86% percent for Sprint. In February, T-Mobile announced a subscriber loss of 706,000 customers during a three-month period, something the company’s CEO ascribed to not carrying the iPhone in a written statement. The iPhone is a compelling device, once capable of convincing people to change their mind’s about who they use as a wireless carrier.

Regional carriers still face other hurdles even with the iPhone 5, including networks that mostly can’t handle new powerful LTE speeds, and having to deal with Apple’s considerable up front subsidy costs, which regularly see the biggest  carriers adjusting financial targets down for an iPhone launch quarter. Minnis acknowledged that footing the initial bill is a challenge. But he hinted that running a smaller, leaner operation might actually help nTelos and other small carriers have an advantage over larger national providers when it comes to costs.

“I can’t really speak to the details of how it’s working financially,” he said. “But we’ve had the position in the marketplace as the best value in wireless, so we have to be efficient in everything we do to achieve that and pass the value on to customers.”

nTelos is offering a better deal, with iPhone 5 on contract pricing for a two-year term ranging from $149.99 for the 16GB, to $249.99 for the 32GB model and $349.99 for the 64GB. The iPhone 4S will remain available for $49.99 as well, meaning that across the board, nTelos pricing undercuts that of the big three by $50. Likewise, Cellcom is offering a similar pricing breakdwon, as is Bluegrass Cellular and many of the other carriers on the list mentioned above.

The iPhone 5 is also the first Apple smartphone to be offered on pre-paid plans, available today on Cricket Wireless starting at $499 with no contract commitment. Cricket’s LTE network is just getting started, however, but it will be offering the latest smartphone in 50 different markets across the U.S., and its plans are cheaper than comparable ones at AT&T, Sprint and Verizon.

It’s true that those large national carriers got a week’s head start, but for the first time, there’s a relatively level playing field (though Minnis notes he expects the iPhone 5 to be in short supply at regional carriers, at least initially), which translates into greater choice for consumers and significant, launch window pricing competition for the first time in the iPhone’s history.

Word has it that the back of the iPhone 5 is susceptible to scratches, a “feature” which apparently Apple’s Phil Schiller considers to be “normal”. However if protecting the back of your iPhone 5 isn’t really that much of a priority, but instead you’d rather add a bumper case to your iPhone, the folks at Esoterism have something for you in the form of the Embrace-5. This is a pretty fancy and sleek looking aluminum bumper for your brand new iPhone 5, and if you’re wondering where might you have seen that design before, try looking down at your watch (assuming you’re wearing an analog one, not digital).

The top portion of the Embrace-5 features a knob which also makes the bumper case a tool-less one, which at the same time sports a design that “merits a mechanic watch’s classic aesthetic”. We’re not sure how we feel about the weird knob at the top, but if you think it looks great and wouldn’t mind getting one for your iPhone 5, you can expect to pick one up from Esoterism’s website come October for $89.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: The Manfrotto Klyp gives your iPhone 5 more camera-like functionality, iPhone 5 prank tells it as it is,

Availability for Apple’s iPhone 5 increases today, as select regional carriers across the US release the iOS 6 smartphone, as well as 22 new countries across the globe. Appalachian Wireless, Cellcom, Cricket, C Spire, GCI, and nTelos all follow AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint to offer the coveted LTE Apple smartphone, PC Mag reports, including the US’s first no-contract option at $499.99.

Prepay carrier cricket will be offering the iPhone 5 with no contracts to sign. The 16 GB model will begin at $499.99 on its network, with a variety of voice, text, data packages to choose from.

Meanwhile, other regional carriers will undercut their US-wide competition, with a $50 discount on Apple’s regular prices for the iPhone 5. Appalachian, Cellcom, and nTelos will all be kicking off offers at $149 for the 16GB model. They’ll also have the 32GB for $249 and the 64GB for $349.

Apple too will be offering broader availability on its newest smartphone, kicking off sales in a further 22 countries around the world.  Ongoing stock shortages, however, do mean that, even in the new countries added to the roster, there’s a wait involved for online orders. New purchases from Apple’s official store online are subject to a 3 to 4 week shipping delay.

The new countries to offer the iPhone 5 are as follows. Get up to speed on the smartphone in our full review.

• Austria
• Belgium
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• Hungary
• Ireland
• Italy
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland

iPhone 5 spreads: US regional carriers plus 22 new countries today is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
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