After a long, long wait, Apple has finally announced that the iPhone 5 will be landing in more than 50 additional countries come December, which fortunately includes the good ol’ Philippine Islands. The firm from Cupertino has confirmed that their newest smartphone will be landing in the country (and a multitude of other territories) on December 14, which means that you’ll still be able to grab one before the year ends. While both Globe and Smart has been mum about their plans to officially launch the device till now, we’re pretty sure that’s going to change sooner rather than later since Apple has officially given the launch date for our country – expect both carriers to announce the availability of the device on their networks soon. Check out the official presser below.
[UPDATE] We just confirmed from a Smart representative that the local Telco will also be launching their iPhone 5 on the 14th. We’ve been trying to confirm with Globe but as of writing they haven’t gotten back to us.
[UPDATE 2] And Globe has also confirmed that they will also be launching on the 14th as well, though both telcos has declined to comment on pricing.
iPhone 5 Arrives in South Korea & More Than 50 Additional Countries in December
CUPERTINO, California—December 3, 2012—Apple® today announced iPhone® 5 will be available in South Korea on Friday, December 7, with more than 50 additional countries being added in December, including Brazil, Russia and Taiwan. iPhone 5 is the thinnest and lightest iPhone ever, completely redesigned to feature a stunning new 4-inch Retina™ display; an Apple-designed A6 chip for blazing fast performance; and ultrafast wireless*—all while delivering even better battery life.**
iPhone 5 is currently available in 47 countries around the world including the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and the UK. iPhone 5 comes with iOS 6, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new features including: Shared Photo Streams, Facebook integration, all-new Maps app, Passbook® organization and even more Siri® features and languages.
iPhone 5 comes in either black & slate or white & silver for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 16GB model, $299 (US) for the 32GB model and $399 (US) for the 64GB model. iPhone 5 will be available through the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers.
iPhone 4S is available for just $99 (US) and iPhone 4 is available for free with a two-year contract from participating carriers.
iPhone 5 will be available in South Korea on Friday, December 7 and on Friday, December 14 in Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Ecuador, Grenada, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Kuwait, Macedonia, Malaysia, Moldova, Montenegro, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. iPhone 5 will also be available on Friday, December 21 in Barbados, Botswana, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Egypt, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St.Vincent & the Grenadines, Tunisia, Uganda and Vietnam.
*Network speeds are dependent on carrier networks. Check with your carrier for details.
**Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.
Source: Apple