iPhone 5 Braces for Big Weekend in 22 New Markets

Apple's AAPL flagship smartphone is launching in 22 additional countries today, ensuring that the iPhone 5 is headed for another big weekend. Less than two weeks ago, Apple pre-sold more than two million units in the first 24 hours of its pre-order campaign. On Monday, the company announced that it had sold more than five million units of the iPhone 5, which comes in two colors (black and white) and three varieties -- 16GB ($199 with contract), 32GB ($299), and 64GB ($399). The iPhone 5 was initially sold in the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Apple will begin selling its new smartphone in nearly two dozen additional markets this morning, including 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. In addition to Sprint S, Verizon VZ, AT&T T, and the many international carriers that offer the iPhone 5, several smaller carriers -- including Cricket, Pioneer Wireless, and Appalachian Wireless -- will begin selling the iPhone 5 today. Cricket, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Leap Wireless LEAP, will sell a contract-free iPhone 5 for $499 -- $100 less than its competitors. Virgin Mobile, a pay-as-you-go service that offers the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S in the United States, has yet to announce when it will carry the iPhone 5. Analysts had initially predicted that the iPhone 5 would sell as many as 10 million units during its first weekend. While the device was unable to fulfill that expectation, the iPhone 5 still managed to outsell its predecessor, the iPhone 4S, by more than a million units. There have been numerous reports that sales of the iPhone 5, which is in higher demand than any other smartphone available, may be negatively impacted by various supply shortages. Those reports seem to be somewhat exaggerated, however, as there were plenty of units available last weekend, and only a four-week shipping delay for orders placed online at Apple.com. Follow me @LouisBedigianBZ