Smart,Globe accept pre-orders for iPhones

MANILA, Philippines - Rivals Smart Communications Inc. of dominant carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. and Ayala-controlled Globe Telecom Inc. have now started taking  pre-orders for the much anticipated iPhone5 from Apple Inc.

Smart and Globe announced in their respective websites that they are now accepting orders for the new iPhone5 that would be released in the country starting Dec. 14.

The new iPhone5 is the sixth released by Apple last September. It is thinner and lighter than the iPhone4s and features a four-inch screen slightly bigger than the previous models’ 3.5-inch screens.

It features a four-inch retina display with the ultrafast wireless and powerful A6 chip and an 8-megapixel iSight camera with panorama and iCloud.

It comes with iOS 6, Apple’s newest operating system for mobile devices featuring shared photo streams, facebook integration, all-new Maps app, passbook organization, and voice-based personal assistant Siri.

Apple announced this week that the Philippines was included in a list of more than 50 countries where the new iPhone5 would be launched this December. The list includes South Korea, Brazil, China, among others.

In its website, Smart is giving subscribers a choice of white and silver or black and slate with a capacity of 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB.

On the other hand, Globe has launched “Genius Offers” for iPhone 5 with the most affordable plans with unlimited surfing, free four months of insurance under Globe Gadget Care worth P1,596, free one-year subscription to the GCASH American Express Virtual Card.

The promo valid until Dec. 31 offers zero interest up to 24 months installment with major credit cards including Allied Bank, BDO, BPI, Citibank, East West Bank, HSBC, Metrobank/PS Bank, RCBC/Bankard, Security Bank/Diners Club, and Union Bank.

It also offers free and exclusive downloads of new Globe Mobile Apps, a $5 discount coupon for every $25 shipping cost using your GCASH American Express Virtual Card for the first 3,000 existing subscribers, and up to 50 percent off on iPhone 5 accessories vouchers

Smart is the country’s leading wireless services provider with 52.1 million subscribers on its GSM network as of end-September 2012 while Globe’s mobile subscribers rose 10 percent to 32.1 million as of end-September.