Apple begins pre-orders for the iPhone 5: $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB, $399 for 64GB, shipping Sept. 21

Jake Smith | Sep 13 2012 - 11:59 pm PT

It certainly been a huge week for those glued to the latest out of Cupertino: After the iPhone 5 unveiled at a media event in San Francisco Sept. 12, Apple further continued the excitement by making the device available for pre-order on its website this morning in nine countries. The three largest U.S. carriers also joined in on the fun, offering the iPhone 5 at $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB, $399 for 64GB on a two-year contract. Customers will find plenty of delays when attempting to get their pre-orders in, which is typical for Apple iPhone launches. Word on the street is that the Apple Store app is the quickest way.

Apple further made the fifth-generation iPod touch available, featuring five new colors and a 5-megapixel camera, along with the seventh-generation 5.4mm iPod nano, for pre-order this evening. Customers will be able to pre-order the new iPod touch starting at $199 for 16GB and $299 for 32GB, while the new iPod nano starts at $149. Apple said it would begin shipping both in October.

As for when the iPhone 5 will ship, Apple said the first batch of pre-orders will be made available Sept. 21 in the U.S., Canada, U.K., France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore alongside in-store units. As pre-orders begin ramping up late into the ~~evening~~ morning, we expect shipping times to start increasing quickly. We laid out a full pricing matrix below:

iPhone 5:

16GB for $199
32GB for $299
64GB for $399
16GB unlocked for $649 available in the coming weeks in the US
32GB unlocked for $749 available in the coming weeks in the US
64GB unlocked for $849 available in the coming weeks in the US
16GB at Walmart for beginning at 8AM

Specs:

Retina display: 4-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display, 1136-by-640-pixel resolution at 326 ppi, 44 percent more color saturation, 800:1 contrast ratio, and fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating on front.
HSPA+, DC-HSDPA
LTE (Sprint, Verizon, AT&T for LTE. In Canada, Rogers, Telus, and Bell)
Wi-Fi (2.4ghz and 5ghz on 802.11n)
A6 chip (compared to the A5— it is two times faster but 22 percent smaller)
AirPlay Mirroring to Apple TV support at 720p
Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery: 225 hours of standby, 8 hours of LTE, 10 hours of Wi-Fi, 8 hours of 3G, and 10 hours of video.
iSight: 8-megapixel, backside flash, hybrid IR filter, five-element lens, sapphire lens, f/2.4 aperture, next-generation ISP, spatial noise reduction, smart filter, better low-light performance, 40 percent faster on photo capture, and HD video recording (1080p) up to 30 frames per second with audio.
FaceTime HD camera with 1.2MP photos and HD video (720p) up to 30 frames per second, improved video stability, face detection, FaceTime over cellular, the ability to snap photos while shooting video, etc.
Audio system: improved speaker design—20 percent smaller speaker and wideband audio
Connector: “Lightning” (so…Apple will have Thunderbolt and Lightning), all-digital, 8-signal design, adaptive interface, improved durability and reversible.
Apple EarPods with Remote and Mic
iOS 6: Passbook, GPS, Maps…( iPhone 4S, 4, 3GS, new iPad, iPad 2… upgrade for free to iOS 6).

iPod touch:

16GB for $199
32GB version for $249

Specs:

High-quality anodized aluminum
The lightest iPod touch—almost as thin as the Nano (Height: 4.86 inches, Width: 2.31 inches, Depth: 0.24 inch, and Weight: 3.10 ounces)
Same display as the iPhone 5: Retina display with 1136-by-640-pixel resolution at 326 pixels per inch
A5 chip: dual-core processor, 2x faster CPU, and dual-core graphics
iOS 6 (Siri, Nike+ support built in, etc.)
Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery life increased: 40 hours of music, 8 hours of video
New iSight camera (with new Panorama mode)
New FaceTime HD camera, 720p video
iPhoto for the App Store
Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi (802.11n 2.4GHz and 5GHz)
AirPlay mirroring
Five new colors (bonus sixth red color for AIDS awareness cause)!
The Loop (matching Touch colors)!

iPod nano:

16GB for $149

Specs:

2.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display
Height: 3.01 inches
Width: 1.56 inches
Accelerometer
Fast-charge time: about 1.5 hours (charges up to 80% of battery capacity)
Full-charge time: about 3 hours
Ships with Apple EarPods
Bluetooth
Lightning connector
Thinnest iPod at 5.4mm thick

Apple also made its redesigned EarPods with Remote and Mic available for $29 on Sept. 12, currently shipping in “1 -3 business days.” You can also pick up the Lightning to 30-pin adapter (.2mm version too) for $29.99, which ships in October, and Lightning to USB cable for $19 with shipping in “2 -3 weeks.”

So, what are you picking up? Let us know below!

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