Rumors have been circulating that the when the next iPhone eventually hits shelves in the U.S., it won’t be limited to the networks of Verizon and AT&T.
A new bit of leaked information picked up by Boy Genius Report seems to back up rumors that Sprint will be the next carrier to get the iPhone, and it could be happening as early as next month. An internal memo that BGR claims it received from a Best Buy source suggests that Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores are expecting to start taking preorders for the iPhone 5 in October, including a version for Sprint.
The document isn’t necessarily a guarantee that the Sprint iPhone 5 is imminent, but it does go a long way toward confirming an earlier rumor from last week that came from the Wall Street Journal. That story cited an unnamed source familiar with the deal between Sprint and Apple.
Sprint uses a CDMA network like that of Verizon, and rumor has it that Apple’s next iPhone will include cellular radios for both CDMA networks and the GSM network that AT&T uses. According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple will start selling the new iPhones during the first week of October, with preorders starting during the last week of September.
That jives with the new information from Best Buy. Here’s what the memo says, dated Sept. 4:
BBYM: iPhone 5 product introduction expected, pre-sales begin for expected October week 1 launch/Sprint launches iPhone 5
(Apple product introduction/launch dates subject to change)
The wording is vague, but BGR’s sources have been reliable in the past. The source also told BGR that it might be possible that preorders on the iPhone could start as early as this week. Continue to apply your salt grains to these Apple rumors, but it seems Sprint users might finally get a crack at the iPhone like customers from Verizon and AT&T.
