If you still haven't managed to secure an iPhone 5 for yourself or someone close to you, the online orders feel like they'll take forever, and the lineups are completely unappealing, good news -- it sounds like US Apple Retail Stores are preparing to start offering personal pickup. 9to5Mac's Dan DeSliva has the story:

We are hearing Apple expects to launch its in-store product reservation system, Personal Pickup, for iPhone 5 tonight at 10 p.m. Eastern. Customers can use the Apple Store app or website between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. nightly to pre-purchase available iPhone 5 inventory for the next day. Because customers are actually purchasing the iPhone, they will have upwards of two weeks to pick up the phone (when it becomes available).

Sounds remarkably civilized. Anyone planning to give it a go?

Source: 9to5Mac

If you have an iPhone 5, or any other unlocked iPhone for that matter, and plan on traveling to the United States, you may want to save yourself the hefty fees that come with roaming, and get a local, pre-paid or Pay As You Go SIM-card for your service. There aren't too many options -- American carriers love tying everyone into 2 year contracts -- but there are some worth considering.

T-Mobile Pay As You Go

Official word from T-Mobile is that they will be supporting the iPhone 5 just as they have any other unlocked iPhone. You can use it on a post paid or prepaid plan with no restrictions.

T-Mobile USA plans on carrying nano SIM cards that will be compatible with the iPhone 5 in mid to late October. If you're using an iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S you can already pick up a micro SIM from T-Mobile. If waiting until mid to late October isn't an option for you, you can always buy a SIM cutter or cut your own down. It's hit or miss and we'd personally recommend waiting for the official one to hit.

While the iPhone 5 will work on T-Mobile USA, they could not confirm that the iPhone 5 would run on their LTE network. It most likely won't but you'll still be able to access their 2G network in most places, and their 3G/4G network in place they've begun supporting. (Most of T-Mobile 3G is on AWS spectrum, which is not supported by the iPhone.)

T-Mobile's prepaid plans start at $50/month and go up from there depending on how much data you need.

• T-Mobile prepaid plans

AT&T Pay As You Go

If you want to bring an iPhone 5 to AT&T you'll be out of luck when it comes to data if you want a no-commitment prepaid plan. While voice calls will work, AT&T has designed data not to be accessible. If you put a post-paid AT&T SIM into an unlocked iPhone 5 you will have access to data, which explains why CDMA iPhone 5's can use AT&T's network as long as the SIM you're inserting is from a contract account. AT&T uses IMEI information to detect account type and currently will not allow access to their data network on an iPhone 5 without a monthly plan.

If you're only in the United States for a short period of time and you're okay with only having voice service, it'll get you by but T-Mobile will almost always be a better option when it comes to using an iPhone on a Pay As You Go plan.

Other options

We're still polling the regional carriers and MVNO to see what other alternatives might be available. If you know of any, drop them in the comments, and we'll update as more and better information comes our way.

If you've had any luck activating an iPhone 5 on any other prepaid carrier in the United States, let us know in the comments!

• Best iPhone 5 nano-SIM PAYG options when traveling to the UK

Now that we've seen some complete teardowns of the iPhone 5, we can better judge what it'll be like when it comes to repairability. More than that, the changes shown in the iPhone 5 design may shed some light on where Apple's heading with the future of iOS product design.

Back when the iPad 3 was released, many DIY'ers, including myself, were let down when it came to repairability. I expressed my concerns over the new iPad's design and how it would effect repair cost and replacement. While the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S weren't the easiest of devices to repair from the user end, everyone who's read and followed our DIY repair guides knows it is more than possible to replace almost every component.

The iPhone 5 represents another change in form factor for Apple, and a return to the iPhone 3G/iPhone 3GS front-opening design model. What this means for end users is that, if you break your screen, the repair is actually less time consuming and easier to perform than both the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. It also makes it possible for Apple to more easily repair them in-store. We've already heard that Apple Retail will perform screen replacements in-store on the iPhone 5, similar to how they did for the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS. It's unclear what price points they'll be charging for a screen repair, or if they'll be different than what they charge now for a replacement device and how AppleCare+ users will be handled, but the fact that they'll be doing it at all is important.

Whether or not this change in direction will carry over into other devices is yet to be seen. The 3rd generation iPad is also rumored to get a hardware revision sooner or later that will add a Lightning connector to replace the 30-pin dock, and perhaps update some other components as well.

The third generation iPad took most of its design cues from the iPad 2 because the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S design wasn't practical for a tablet. Elements of the iPhone 5 design may be. While we can't be certain how these design changes will affect the iPad line in the years, I think there are a few things we can plan on seeing in the near future.

The iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S already combined the digitizer and LCD together in one unit through a bonding process. The iPhone 5 merged the two together into a single in-cell display to make the device thinner yet. This isn't currently the case with the iPad line. The LCD and digitizer are still two completely separate components. They aren't bonded together in any way and there is still quite a large gap between the two.

The space between the LCD and digitizer on the iPad could be completely eliminated, and Apple could stay on the same track they did with the new iPod touch, which wouldn't increase repairability at all. Or they could also go the way of the iPhone 5 and allow easier access from the top panel without using adhesive.

Apple has never been about making a radical change just for the sake of doing something different. Jonathan Ive, Apple Senior Vice President of Industrial Design, put it best when introducing the iPhone 5.

Because of the unique relationship people have with their iPhones, we take changing it really seriously. We don't want to just make a new phone. We want to make a much better phone.

So what Apple has done with the iPhone 5, and what they will do with future products like the iPad mini and, one day, the iPad 4 and iPhone 5S, aren't choices taken lightly.

That's how we've grown to know what to expect from Apple --- better, more finely crafted devices that are familiar and comfortable yet new and exciting at the same time. The next device Apple releases will give you the same feeling you got when you picked up an iPhone 5 for the first time. You'll feel right at home but it'll somehow feel better to hold and more enjoyable to use.

Apple has never made user serviceability and repairability a priority, and I don't expect that to change. But sometimes, Apple's priorities just happen to align with those of do-it-yourselfers.

The iPhone 5 is a great example, and hopefully there'll be more to come.

The iPhone 5 is thinner, lighter, longer, brighter, and faster than ever before. But is it louder? iPhones have always sounded good through headsets, and they can even pump out decent sound through Bluetooth these days. Yet year after year, iPhone after iPhone, little or no attention seems to get paid to the on-board speakers. While others experiment with everything from the solid Dolby to the silly Beats by Dre, the company that created the iPod + iTunes, has traditionally not devoted the Keynote-time to killer audio that they have killer camera optics. This year, however, my hopes were raised. Apple's iPhone 5 event did indeed feature an entire segment on speakers --- but only for the new EarPods. What about the on-board speakers?

As it turns out, and as you can hear -- and see -- there have been some minor improvement to sound levels on the iPhone 5's on-board speakers as well. That said, and while there's only so much you can do with a device as small as the iPhone, there's no reason Apple shouldn't be the absolute best-in-class device when it comes to all forms of audio. There's no reason they shouldn't be as innovative and industry-leading with sound as they are with optics, with speakers as they are headsets. Speaker quality matters, for everything from taking a hands-free or conference call, to using accessibility features like VoiceOver.

Next year I'd like to see Apple blow me away with not only how great the iPhone 5S camera is, or EarPods are, but how great the speakers are.

Until then, I'll have to stick to my headsets and Bluetooth, and suffer the tiny, tinny speakers for another year...

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Apple has just announced their sales figures for the iPhone 5 and once again they don't fail to impress -- 5 million in the 3 days since September 21. Apple also announced that 100 million iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads have updated to iOS 6 since it was released on September 19.

"Demand for iPhone 5 has been incredible and we are working hard to get an iPhone 5 into the hands of every customer who wants one as quickly as possible," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "While we have sold out of our initial supply, stores continue to receive iPhone 5 shipments regularly and customers can continue to order online and receive an estimated delivery date. We appreciate everyone's patience and are working hard to build enough iPhone 5s for everyone."

Last weekend's numbers include sales in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the UK. This coming weekend, Apple will launch the iPhone 5 in 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 as well.

Last year's iPhone 4S launch reached 4 million on launch weekend while the iPhone 4 reached 1.7 million but had a much smaller initial release.

So how do those numbers stack up to your expectations? And how do they reconcile with some of the press and public sentiment that the iPhone 5 lacked some of the obvious, blow-you-away new features of previous years? Are they a sign that consumers aren't nearly as bored with Apple as some would have you believe, or that we'd buy a rock from Apple if they wrapped it up right?

• iOS 6 review

Source: Apple PR

If you have updated to iOS 6 and were hoping to find a raft of apps that used Apple's new Passbook app then you were in for a bit of a disappointment. As ever with apps that rely on third parties to populate them, it takes time when they are first released. Thankfully, Starbucks is going to have its app updated to support passbook by the end of this month, the news comes from Starbucks official Twitter account.

Updated to iOS 6? Our Passbook update is coming at the end of this month! 00111010 00101001

Passbook is a brand new, built-in app for iOS 6 designed to serve as a one-stop repository for all the tickets, coupons, gift cards, and other vouchers provided by third-party App Store apps. There are already a few apps that support Passbook in the App Store like Cineplex, Target and Ticketmaster. Adding Starbucks to that list should give Passbook a good boost and a bit of exposure too.

Of course you don't need to have an app to get tickets, coupons, gift cards and vouchers into Passbook. Passes are JSON files with bundles resources that can be presented to you in apps, or as links on the web or in email messages. Hopefully it won't be too much longer until we can dump all of those store loyalty cards, gift cards and paper tickets that we are forever losing.

Have you used any Passbook features yet? Do you think it is going to be an important feature of iOS 6?

Source: Starbucks

The iPhone 5 is not only equipped with an iSight camera with an f/2.4 lens that takes great 8 megapixel pictures, but also records incredible 1080p HD video as well. The FaceTime camera has also been improved and will finally record 720p HD video. Of all the improvements to video recording with the iPhone 5, however, the ability to take photos while simultaneously shooting video is definitely the cherry on top.

To see examples of the iPhone 5's cameras in action, check out the video above! Then follow along for my full review of the iPhone 5 video cameras.

Video recording with the iPhone 5

One of the noticeable changes you'll see when recording video with the iPhone 5 is that the UI has been adjusted to take advantage of the screen's 16:9 aspect ratio. The video you're recording will completely fill the screen and all your controls will appear as transparent buttons so that you can see everything that's being recorded. While recording video, there are only 3 items on the screen, the record button, the elapsed time, and a new button for taking pictures.

Simultaneously recording video and taking photos with the iPhone 5

One of the special features of the iPhone 5 is the ability to take photos while simultaneously shooting 1080p HD video. To do so, simply tap the camera icon while recording video. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the camera shutter was very fast even when recording video at the same time. As is demonstrated in the video, it's super easy to rapidly take photos while recording video.

Sound too good to be true? Well, there is a minor catch. The resolution of the photos you take while recording video will be less than those taken in photo mode. Specifically, photos taken with the still camera are 3264x 2448px (4:3 ratio), but the photos captured while recording video are 1920x1080px (16:9 ratio).

Personally, I have opted out of recording video in the past because I didn't want to miss out on a great photo, but now that I can take photos while recording video, that'll never happen again. I'm not concerned with the loss of resolution because the photos I'll be taking while recording video are meant for memories and sharing online, so 1920px wide is good enough. I'd rather have lower-resolution photos while recording video than no photos while recording video.

Front facing camera quality of the iPhone 5

Although the main iSight camera on the iPhone 5 didn't receive any big upgrades in quality, the front-facing camera has greatly improved. For the first time, the iPhone's FaceTime camera now records in 720p HD video. It's definitely not as good as the rear-facing iSight camera, but compared to it's predecessor, the new FaceTime camera does a phenomenal job. In the past, I've just recorded myself with the rear-facing camera even though I couldn't see myself just because I hated the poor quality of the front-facing camera. Not anymore. If I need to record myself talking to the camera, I'll use the front-facing camera from here on out.

Low-light video recording with the iPhone 5

A big weakness of every iPhone's video camera has been the quality of video that was recorded in low-light scenarios. Unfortunately, but as expected, this continues to be a weakness with the iPhone 5. Although special situations, like the clip of the burning candle, can produce stunning results, everyday poor indoor lighting will result in low-quality, grainy videos. You can still capture memories, but the quality won't be anything to brag about.

The bottom line

The iPhone 5 may not have received a huge boost in quality over the iPhone 4S, but since the iPhone 4S does a great job at recording 1080p HD video, that's ok. The beauty is that the same great quality is delivered in a much thinner package. Additionally, the larger screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio improves upon the video recording experience. Although the rear-facing iSight camera didn't receive significant improvements over the iPhone 4S, including in low-light, there's no denying that the front-facing FaceTime camera on the iPhone 5 blows the iPhone 4S away. Of all the changes, however, my absolute favorite is the ability to take photos while recording video.

The iPhone 5 is simply the best portable video camera I've ever owned.

Every week, the editors at iMore carefully select some of our favorite, most useful, most extraordinary apps, accessories, gadgets, and websites. This week's selections include a fun golfing game for the iPad, an old favorite Twitter app on the iPhone 5, an alternative to YouTube, and an app for finding wallpapers for your iPhone 5.

Wonderputt for iPad - SimonSage

So you didn't get an iPhone 5. That's fine, you still have your trusty iPad, right? Well, this really great mini-putt game came out last week called Wonderputt. It crams a whole 18 holes onto the same single screen, but as you'll quickly discover the course's surreal landscape continually shifts in bizarre and imaginative new ways. The controls are dead simple. All you have to do is drag a line behind your ball, with the length determining strength, and your finger's relative position altering the angle. Players are scored in traditional golfy fashion, with par, birdies, eagles, and the whole shebang. Scores are shared to online leaderboards on Game Center, and meticulous stats are saved on your how many shots you take and how long you take. There are collectibles hidden throughout the course, which are sure to bring you back for more. The graphics are Retina-ready and extremely well-done, and the soft sountrack will make you continually feel like you're in outer space.

Overall, Wonderputt is a charming, sharp, otherworldly experience. Definitely try it out.

• $0.99 - Download Now

Tweetbot for iPhone - Chris Oldroyd

This week, my pick is one that has been chosen before but I want to make it this weeks pick as it has just has received a new update that makes it extra awesome. Yes, Tweetbot now supports the iPhone 5 and its larger 4-inch screen and this apps shows you why that extra screen real estate is so important.

Tweetbot is quite simply the most elegant and functional Twitter app available for iPhone in my opionion and it is a real pleasure to use it. It makes me smile each and every time I hear the well chosen sounds and use the screen switching gestures; it is so intuitive. Tweetbot handles multiple timelines, smart gestures, push notifications, mute filters and much more.

The Tweetbot developers were right on the ball with updating Tweetbot and had iOS 6 and iPhone 5 support built into the app the day before iOS 6 launched and well in advance of the iPhone 5 release. Looking at this awesome app on the iPhone 5 big screen is so much nicer now, that screen was made for apps like this.

If you use Twitter and want an app that works better than any other and also makes you happy using it, make sure you get Tweetbot. Its my most used and favourite app on my iPhone 5!

• $2.99 - Download

Jasmine - Bla1ze

With the release of iOS 6 we saw Apple and YouTube sever ties and take out the YouTube.app. Google has made their official YouTube app available for download but for those of you out there who don't really like that one, there is a new option out there. Jasmine is now available for download and it looks rather fabulous. It's minimalistic in looks and big on function. All the things you'd expect from YouTube are built in such as comments, favourites, playlists and more but you also get the added benefit themes and filtering for notorious spam channels and such. Overall, it's pretty awesome and way better than the Google version plus, it's ready for the iPhone 5. With Jasmine installed, I've now uninstalled the official Google YouTube app.

• Free - Download Now

Retina Wallpapers & Backgrounds - Leanna Lofte

One of the first things I wanted to do once I had my beautiful new iPhone 5 in my hands was go on a hunt for the perfect wallpaper for my home screen. Most of the wallpaper apps out there don't yet offer support for the iPhone 5, but Retina Wallpapers & Backgrounds does! Retina Wallpapers & Backgrounds lets you sort wallpapers by category, download them to your Camera Roll, mark as favorites, and includes a lot of wallpapers for free. If you have an iPhone 5, check this one out!

• Free - Download Now

Reeder - Ally Kazmucha

Reeder has always been one of my favorite RSS apps whether I'm reading news on my iPhone or my iPad. Now that it's already ready for the iPhone 5, the experience is better than ever.

I love that I can see see more content when in portrait mode than before which means less scrolling. While there aren't any new changes to Reeder per say, it's still a great app and is even more enjoyable to use on the iPhone 5. Even if you have an older iPhone or an iPad, Reeder is a must have if you read a lot of news feeds from your iOS device.

• $2.99 - Download Now

Your choice?

Now that we've chosen our favorites for the week, we want to hear yours! Did you pick up a killer app, accessory, or game this week? Let us know in the comments below!

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The bad news is, no iMore show Sunday edition podcast tonight. I have to finish our iPhone 5 review, and it's crunch time. The good news is, we're upgrading the iMore Forums!

Forums, Mark IV

The Mobile Nations Network gave the Android Central Forums a huge makeover a couple of weeks ago, and now it's iMore's turn. What exactly will you be getting? I'm glad you asked:

• Widescreen browsing. Seriously, the threads fill your screen.
• Super navigation. A single place to find everything that matters most to you.
• New interface layout. All your stats, all where they should be.
• Social goodness. Groups, friends, photos, right in the Super nav.
• Updated forum software. A ton of small things just work better.
• Improved readability. Bigger, better typography.

The update will take about 2 hours -- if all goes well! -- and, sadly, the forums won't be available during that time. But you'll still have fast, full access to the front page and all our articles and videos, and we'll have some fun stuff for you in the meantime.

So apologies for the dust, thanks for the patience, we'll get the construction over with as soon as possible.

In the mean time, go ENTER TO WN A FREE iPHONE, and then come back and keep reading...

Meanwhile on iOS 6 and iPhone 5...

Like I said at the top, I'm heads down on the iPhone 5 review right now, but we've already posted our massive iOS 6 review and we keep adding to it, including an iOS 6 in 6 minutes video recap, so bookmark that sucker and check back soon.

We've also started posting sections of our iPhone 5 review, namely Leanna's amazing camera review, photo shootout, photo gallery, and App Store picks, Alli's benchmarks, Georgia's battery life tips, Kevin's watch comparison, and Simon's game picks. (I threw a few snapshots in there as well.)

Check 'em out, and see you on the flip side!