Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone 5 demand is still off the charts, with most Apple stores around the world still out of stock. In fact, we’ve checked multiple carrier locations in the United States since launch and none have even received new shipments of the iPhone 5 yet. Your best bet is still at an Apple store, but you’ll quickly find that any available iPhone 5’s will most likely be for Sprint and Sprint only.
Even with the only true unlimited data plan, Sprint’s (S) the least desirable option when looking for an iPhone and this certainly applies to the iPhone 5, but it’s still surprising that there are even Sprint iPhone 5’s sprinkled around the countries’ Apple stores. While the Verizon and Sprint model are identical as far as hardware — they are also the same model phone that is sold outside of the United States — they can’t be used on each other’s networks unfortunately. Apple’s online store is still quoting a 3-4 week delivery timeframe for iPhone 5 orders placed today.
