Apple iPad Air Release: T-Mobile To Offer New iPad With Free 200MB Data Plan

Following Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) unveiling of the new iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display on Tuesday, T-Mobile (NYSE:TMUS) announced that it would offer the latest flagship tablet with an entry-level data package of 200MB a month free of charge.

After the new iPad Air is released to consumers in November, T-Mobile will become the only major U.S. cell phone network provider to offer a free data plan to users of the new iPad. Once users consume 200MB of free data, the next higher-limit packages will start, priced at, for instance, 2.5GB a month for $30 and 4.5GB a month for $40.

Although T-Mobile customers have been able to use unlocked GSM iPads with the carrier’s SIM cards, the iPad Air and the second-generation iPad mini with Retina display will be the first Apple tablets to be sold through T-Mobile, Apple Insider reported.

On Tuesday, T-Mobile CEO John Legere took to his Twitter page, hinting that the carrier was planning something interesting regarding the launch of Apple’s new iPads on the carrier.

“Yep! Proud to be launching iPad Air and new iPad mini! But how? Uncarrier way of course,” Legere tweeted.

Here are the data plans for the new iPad Air, listed on Apple’s website:

The new iPad Air is powered by the Apple-designed 64-bit A7 chip found inside the iPhone 5s, and the M7 motion coprocessor, which helps track movement while saving battery consumption.

The iPad Air features a 9.7-inch LED-backlit Multi-Touch display with IPS technology with 2048x1536 resolutions at 264 pixels per inch. The device sports a 5-megapixel iSight camera and a 1.2-megapixel FaceTime HD camera.

Scheduled to be released on Nov. 1, the new iPad Air will be available starting at $629 for the 16GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model.

Here are the pricing details for other versions of the tablet:

Wi-Fi + Cellular model

- 32GB version: $729

- 64GB version: $829

- 128GB version: $929

Wi-Fi Only model

- 16GB version: $499

- 32GB version: $599

- 64GB version: $699

- 128GB version: $799