Is the new iPhone going to be available with prepaid wireless carriers? New rumors have surfaced about the iPhone 5 release date which have some questioning the future of the well-loved Apple smartphone. Cricket Wireless has partnered with Apple to sell the 4th and 5th generation handsets to their customers.
Is this a clue that the new Apple gadget may hit prepaid wireless carriers as well? Initially only AT&T was able to offer Apple smartphones, but now the other major US wireless providers have taken a bite out of the Apple handset craze, so it isn’t unrealistic to see the iPhone with prepaid carriers. As for the iPhone 5 release date, it seems the handset will launch will major providers first, with prepaid wireless providers offering the handset afterward.
A recent article says the Cricket Apple “phones will be carrier-locked,” and only “capable of using Cricket’s network,” unless they are jailbreaked. Consumers that already have an existing model won’t be able to switch to Cricket unless they jailbreak their handset, which not all consumers want to do.
What do you think about Apple partnering with prepaid carriers for their smartphones? Do you think the iPhone 5 release date would be as successful for major wireless carriers if consumers knew the handset were going to soon hit prepaid carriers with a lower monthly rate plan?
At this time the 6th generation iOS 6 Apple smartphone is expected to launch in September or October of 2012, with iOS 6 likely to launch at the WWDC this month.
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