As expected, T-Mobile USA announced at its "Uncarrier" event in New York that it's finally become the official distributor of the iPhone, six years after Apple announced its game-changing smartphone. The company will start offering the iconic device April 12 and has confirmed it'll work on its LTE network, which also formally launched on Tuesday. The iPhone 5, of course, also supports T-Mobile's speedy HSPA+ covering 225 million people in 229 metropolitan areas.
Unlike AT&T, Verizon and Sprint - or most of the world's carriers for that matter - the Deutsche Telekom-owned wireless telco will sell Apple's device contract-free, tapping its previously mulled monthly installments in another uncharacteristic industry practice. "We're canceling our membership to the Wireless Carrier Club," CEO John Legere quipped at the presser.
Specifically, per T-Mobile's press release, you'll be paying $99.99 upfront to get an entry-level 16GB iPhone 5, without ever having to put your signature on a two-year service contract. The rest of the device's unsubsidized price will be recovered through installment plans requiring you to drop an additional $20 over the next 24 months.
Quickly, do the math in your head: under these terms, the iPhone 5 will set you back $580 in total, a nice $69 saving over the unlocked $649 iPhone 5 on Apple's web store...