iPhone 5 on the Way to Sprint

Apple is reportedly going to allow Sprint to offer its very popular iPhone. The carrier will be getting the iPhone 5 in mid-October, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

AT&T was the only option for U.S. iPhone buyers for years, but last winter Verizon began offering this smartphone. This fall, both of them will get the iPhone 5, as well as Sprint, the nation's third largest wireless carrier.

In addition to Apple's next model, Sprint will also be picking up the iPhone 4, last year's model. This is in-line with Apple's practice of selling its previous handset at a discount when the new version comes out -- AT&T is offering the iPhone 3GS, for example.

Sprint has been struggling for years, with a slowly declining number of subscribers, and its inability to offer the iPhone made a large hole in its product line-up. If the WSJ report is correct, finally being able to offer Apple's smartphone should held stem the tide.

This could make T-Mobile the only one of the "Big Four" U.S. carriers who don't offer the iPhone. However, this company is in the process of merging into AT&T, so this is somewhat moot.

Apple iPhone 5: What to Expect
No good images of Apple's next smartphone have leaked out yet. However, according to a series of rumors and unconfirmed reports, the iPhone 5 will sport a slightly larger display than the present model and an 8-megapixel camera. The device will supposedly be thinner than the current one, and have a larger Home button that will do double-duty as a gesture area. 

It will also run iOS 5 on an Apple A5 dual-core processor. The new version of this operating system will include a new notification system, better web browser, and support for iCloud, Apple's new online backup service. 

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