# Canada Apple Stores Will Not Sell Unlocked iPhone 5 On Launch Day?



## Joker Eh (Jan 22, 2008)

For those thinking of waiting in line at Apple for an unlocked iPhone 5 you are out of luck.

Canada Apple Stores Will Not Sell Unlocked iPhone 5 On Launch Day [Update] | iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource



> Due to Apple’s renewed focus on in-store iPhone contracts, unlocked iPhones will be unavailable at launch at Canada Apple Stores


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## harzack86 (Jan 30, 2005)

I just saw this too.
I'm pissed. Didn't order on line to get the unlocked phone in store at launch day, and now I'm screwed... This is ridiculous.


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

It's to spurn the Chinese iPhone blackmarket mostly, but the iPhone 5 would be useless in countries without a carrier that offers the new nano-SIM that only uses so far.


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## gozee (Mar 11, 2009)

I just called Apple and they told me that Canada will be selling the unlocked iPhone 5 on the 21st. I expressed to her that I will be very upset if I get there at 3am and wait only to hear that they are not selling it so please ask someone else to confirm, she came back a minute later and said yes they will be selling it in store on the 21st.


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## John Clay (Jun 25, 2006)

gozee said:


> I just called Apple and they told me that Canada will be selling the unlocked iPhone 5 on the 21st. I expressed to her that I will be very upset if I get there at 3am and wait only to hear that they are not selling it so please ask someone else to confirm, she came back a minute later and said yes they will be selling it in store on the 21st.


Last I heard, Apple Canada doesn't run the Apple Retail stores so that may not to be true. It might be best to call the retail store the day before the release to confirm.


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## normcorriveau (Dec 6, 2005)

Read this and see how you interpret it. To me it certainly means whoever you spoke to is wrong.


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## Joker Eh (Jan 22, 2008)

gozee said:


> I just called Apple and they told me that Canada will be selling the unlocked iPhone 5 on the 21st. I expressed to her that I will be very upset if I get there at 3am and wait only to hear that they are not selling it so please ask someone else to confirm, she came back a minute later and said yes they will be selling it in store on the 21st.


Read again! It says they won't be selling UNLOCKED phones in store. If you are buyin a contract phone then go in store.


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## Tech Elementz (Mar 15, 2011)

harzack86 said:


> Didn't order on line to get the unlocked phone in store at launch day.


Have you seen the pre-order shipment estimates for the iPhone 5 now straight from Apple? They've dropped to 2-3 weeks... If you really want to get an unlocked iPhone 5, your probably going to have to wait a little while now...


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

You mean 'risen' to 2-3 weeks.


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## Tech Elementz (Mar 15, 2011)

gmark2000 said:


> You mean 'risen' to 2-3 weeks.


It can work both ways. I say dropped because the context of the weeks can work like negative integers. Since -2 & -3 are much lower than -1, you can theoretically say that the shipping has "dropped" from 1 week to 2 - 3 weeks.

However, "risen" would work in the context of positive integers...


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## greensuperman32 (Mar 28, 2005)

gmark2000 said:


> It's to spurn the Chinese iPhone blackmarket mostly, but the iPhone 5 would be useless in countries without a carrier that offers the new nano-SIM that only uses so far.


You can actuall cut a micro-sim or regular sim down to work as a nano sim since the nano sim is the same as the previous sim versions but with even less excess plastic around the contacts.


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## jhuynh (Mar 21, 2011)

greensuperman32 said:


> You can actuall cut a micro-sim or regular sim down to work as a nano sim since the nano sim is the same as the previous sim versions but with even less excess plastic around the contacts.


Actually, the nano sim is slightly thinner. So depending on the tolerance of the SIM tray, a cut down SIM might get stuck if you try this.


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## jhuynh (Mar 21, 2011)

Tech Elementz said:


> It can work both ways. I say dropped because the context of the weeks can work like negative integers. Since -2 & -3 are much lower than -1, you can theoretically say that the shipping has "dropped" from 1 week to 2 - 3 weeks.
> 
> However, "risen" would work in the context of positive integers...


But we aren't talking about negative integers. You don't say I'm going to get the iPhone in -2 weeks. That would imply you got the iPhone 2 weeks ago..

Back on topic... I really hope they decide not to go ahead with this even though their website seems to imply it's true. I didn't know if I was going to get one or not and when I decided I was going to buy one the shipping had already changed to 2-3 weeks. I'm one of those people that have lined up in the past and I was planning to go line up on Friday for an unlocked phone


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## G-Mo (Sep 26, 2007)

John Clay said:


> Last I heard, Apple Canada doesn't run the Apple Retail stores so that may not to be true. It might be best to call the retail store the day before the release to confirm.


Absolutely true! Apple Stores are owned and operated by Apple US, and generally do not get on with Apple Canada (who dislike them!).


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## bob99 (Aug 16, 2007)

I swung by the Apple Store in Vancouver (Pacific Centre) today to see if they had nano SIMS in stock. They did not, but the employee I spoke with confirmed they will not be selling unlocked phones on launch day.

Disappointing! I wonder if that stems from the fact that there is just too much demand for these at launch?


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

bob99 said:


> Disappointing! I wonder if that stems from the fact that there is just too much demand for these at launch?


Again, most likely to stem the flow of black market iPhones to China and the Middle East by professional phone flippers lining up over and over.


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## greensuperman32 (Mar 28, 2005)

gmark2000 said:


> Again, most likely to stem the flow of black market iPhones to China and the Middle East by professional phone flippers lining up over and over.


If this is the case then we should see the same thing happen at Apple stores in the US, Australia, UK, and all the other countries launching the iPhone 5 on the 21st should we not? If this only happens in Canada then I would bet there is a different motive behind this.

Either way, I doesn't bother me because I won't be able to afford one until the new year  but I will certainly be buying an unlocked one unless Virgin gives me a deal.


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## emalen (Oct 10, 2004)

This is incredibly disappointing news for me personally as had I known about this prior I would have simply pre-ordered online. 

The stranglehold that these carriers seem to have over Canadians is really getting to me. It shouldn't be this hard to purchase a phone that gives me the freedom to use it on Rogers, and put it a US sim when I travel in the states.


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## Bjornbro (Feb 19, 2000)

emalen said:


> It shouldn't be this hard to purchase a phone that gives me the freedom to use it on Rogers, and put it a US sim when I travel in the states.


If you have to buy an unlocked phone on launch day, go to Buffalo and bring it home,. Our dollar is a buck-3 anyway. :greedy: You'll still have to wait for that Canadian telco SIM however...


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

Bjornbro said:


> If you have to buy an unlocked phone on launch day, go to Buffalo and bring it home,. Our dollar is a buck-3 anyway. :greedy: You'll still have to wait for that Canadian telco SIM however...


Unlocked iPhones are not available in the US until a later date, so nix that idea for now.


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## crawford (Oct 8, 2005)

emalen said:


> This is incredibly disappointing news for me personally as had I known about this prior I would have simply pre-ordered online.
> 
> The stranglehold that these carriers seem to have over Canadians is really getting to me. It shouldn't be this hard to purchase a phone that gives me the freedom to use it on Rogers, and put it a US sim when I travel in the states.


How does this decision have anything to do with Canadian carriers? As has been mentioned elsewhere, it's not even possible to buy an unlocked iPhone in the US. At least they're available online here.


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## Paul82 (Sep 19, 2007)

I agree, this is ENTIRELY about stopping the scalper market that was exporting them (mostly to china, but the middle east as well). As mentioned the scalpers were getting very organized and were just rotating through the line till the store was out of stock (I saw them in action last year for the 4S launch) we are one of the few countries that had the unlocked phones on launch day. It was a big enough problem at the Rideau store that nearly half the demo units had been switched over to Chinese. In general these guys were pretty pushy and rude in terms of lining up and purchasing phones (I witnessed one of them "go off" at an apple employee when he informed him they were out of stock for the day).

All that said, I can understand why people where doing this, as the profit per phone was in the range of $1500-2000(depending on model)...


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

These new iPhones are useless without a carrier that offers a nano-SIM. No Chinese carrier would have them (or at least they shouldn't have them).


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