Where to Buy iPhone 4S

You probably know by now that pre-orders for iPhone 4S sold out for Apple and all the carriers, meaning there is a several week delay before an order placed online will be delivered to you. But you can still get one if you got to a local retailer…

Your best bet if you want an iPhone 4S right away is by going to a local store. Every past iPhone and iPad launch has resulted in huge lines and sold out inventory, straining the availability until supply finally catches up, with the case of the iPad 2 this took several months. Supply between stores is often inconsistent, but the price of iPhone 4S is the same at every launch partner, all require subsidies at this point as the unlocked version isn’t available until November.

Here’s where you can buy an iPhone 4S, but if you want to get your iPhone 4S, be prepared, and know where to shop!

Apple Stores
By far the best bet to get your hands on an iPhone 4S is by going to an Apple Store. Use Apple’s Store locator to find the one closest to you. Typically the stores open at 8:00AM and you should get there as soon as possible, if not early before the store opens, because there will almost certainly be lines.

• Apple Store Locator

AT&T Stores
AT&T has been the longest running iPhone partner and is sure to have tons of iPhones in stock. If you want to be using the GSM network, AT&T is your only option in the USA

• AT&T Store Locator

Verizon Stores
Verizon will have the iPhone 4S on launch day, they’re on a CDMA network but supposedly the GSM sim card slot can be unlocked after 60 days, allowing you to roam internationally with local sim cards.

• Verizon Store Locator

Sprint Stores
The newest carrier, Sprint is also CDMA, and is sure to have a handful of iPhone 4S’s. Sprint also has the best overall plan deal if you want unlimited data, texting, and talking, plus they don’t throttle download speeds for heavy users.

• Sprint Store Locator

Other launch day partners and carriers of iPhone 4S:

• Radio Shack
• Wal Mart
• Sam’s Club

Personally I would recommend an Apple Store because they typically have the largest number of devices in stock, plus they can sign you up on any carrier. If you want to avoid lines though, some of the other resellers will often have shorter lines, but lesser stock, meaning they frequently sell out quicker. It’s a bit of gamble, but if you live near several of these stores, you can always try a few of them until you get one. Good luck!