T-Mobile begins officially offering the iPhone 5 today. As the carrier becomes the final carrier of the big four to offer the device, smiles must be on the faces of both Apple and T-Mobile’s executives, as reports began coming in of lines forming at T-Mobile stores for a device that’s already been on the market for over six months.
Thanks to T-Mo’s new Uncarrier plans, the iPhone 5 can be had starting at just $99, with two years of $20 monthly payments to cover the balance, or for free if you’re switching from another carrier and bring a device in for trade.
BTIG analyst Walter Piecyk tweeted the above photo, showing a line at a T-Mobile location this morning. Reports on Twitter suggest small lines at various U.S. locations.
T-Mobiles existing potential reach amounts to around 26.1 million potential subscribers for Apple, of which only a small percentage will realistically become iPhone 5 customers, so the lines must be good news to both Apple and Magenta Network execs.
The T-Mobile release should give a late-life boost to the iPhone 5, as it faces competition from Samsung’s new Galaxy S4, and a sales lag as customers begin waiting for Apple’s much rumored iPhone 5S, or even its equally rumor mill fueled lower-priced iPhone.
T-Mobile also began airing ads for the iPhone 5 release, proclaiming: “Only T-Mobile let’s your iPhone 5 be as great as an iPhone5″(?)
