Global stocks of Apple iPhone 5 drop at Apple Stores, leaving only the rare Sprint branded model

With the Apple iPhone 4S just an incremental update from the Apple iPhone 4, there naturally would be strong demand for the next version of the phone that offered some decent changes. The Apple iPhone 5, with its larger 4 inch screen, LTE connectivity, faster processor and new digital dock connector certainly fit the bill. The first weekend of sales saw 5 million units sold and while that was lower than the 8 million units that analysts expected, the 6th generation iPhone continued to work down inventory at global locations of the Apple Store and at carriers around the world.

Ordering from the Apple Store, there is a 3 to 4 week delay on the Apple iPhone 5 for all carriers

In the U.S., carriers have not yet received a second shipment of phones, leaving them on back order with delivery expected in 3 to 4 weeks. Even though Sprint is the only major U.S. carrier to offer unlimited data for Apple iPhone 5 users, it seems that network speed is more important to iPhone users than receiving unlimited data. The reason we say that is because if you are lucky enough to find an Apple iPhone 5 at your local Apple Store, it is going to be a device with the Sprint brand on it. Sprint has only 24 cities covered with its LTE signal while Verizon and AT&T have hundreds of cities covered by the speedy service which runs up to 10 times faster than 3G.
 
But even finding a Sprint branded Apple iPhone 5 is not an easy task. If you have your heart set on an Apple iPhone 5 and can't wait a month for a working phone, check to see if your carrier will give you a loaner until your order comes in. We've heard stories from those who have ordered the latest iteration of the iPhone and while waiting for their phone to arrive, their carrier gave them an Apple iPhone 4S to useuntil the new phone arrives. With the level of competition among carriers these days, they all want your business. It doesn't hurt to ask and the worst thing they can say is no.