Apple (AAPL)’s iPhone 5, the fastest-selling gadget of all time will officially launch in 22 more countries and several regional carriers in the U.S. starting Friday at midnight.
The official Sept. 28 iPhone 5 launch extends to Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Also, the handset, which despite widespread criticism surrounding its inaccurate Maps app is estimated by the Street to sell 58 million units and receive over $36 billion in revenues for the device, will now be available on a number of U.S. regional carriers, including Cricket, C Spire, Bluegrass Cellular, Cellcom, GCI, Golden State Cellular, Nex-Tech Wireless, Pioneer Wireless, Appalachian Wireless, MTA Solutions and nTelos.
According to 9to5Mac, nTelos Wireless, operating out of Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, Kentucky, and North Carolina, will launch the new iPhone at $149 on a two-year contract.
The 32GB model will be offered by the carrier for $249 and the 64GB model at $349. That’s $50 off Apple’s price on contract for most major carriers.
In addition, unlocked iPhone 5 prices are listed on Apple’s New Zealand website starting at NZD $1049 or US $875.
9to5Mac also reports on the pricing for some other European countries including the Czech Republic and Slovakia, whose iPhone 5 prices will start at €679 or US $878 for the 16GB version, €789 or US $1020 for the 32GB version, and €899 or US $1162 for the 64GB version.
Apple says it will be in more than 100 countries by the end of the year.
Cupertino received 2 million orders in the first 24 hours of announcing iPhone 5’s release date, more than double the previous record number held by the iPhone 4S. The tech giant sold 5 million iPhone 5 units worldwide during the three days following the device’s launch on Friday, Sept. 21. The company admitted however, that demand for the iPhone 5 outstripped the initial supply and that many new orders are still listed with a 3-4 week wait at Apple’s online store after being sold out.
“Demand for iPhone 5 has been incredible and we are working hard to get an iPhone 5 into the hands of every customer who wants one as quickly as possible,” said in a statement Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “While we have sold out of our initial supply, stores continue to receive iPhone 5 shipments regularly and customers can continue to order online and receive an estimated delivery date. We appreciate everyone’s patience and are working hard to build enough iPhone 5s for everyone.”
Apple’s stock has dropped more than $35 since hitting a new all time high of $705.07 ahead of the iPhone 5′s release.
Previous AAPL close: $681.32 on 14.8 million volume. Ticker’s 52wk range: $354.24 – $705.07.
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