Leading up to the iPad Air’s launch, T-Mobile announced that anyone who bought the new iPad through them would get 200 MB of 4G data per month for free. It wasn’t a ton of data, but free is free and you could use it to do some basic web stuff in a pinch. It turns out that was sort of true… with a hitch. Existing T-Mobile customers get the best of all worlds – the ability to pay for the new iPad in monthly installments plus that free data – but things get a little trickier if you’re new to T-Mobile. New customers can get the free data with no strings attached if they buy the new iPad outright from T-Mobile. But if you were hoping to finance the iPad over 24 months – just as T-Mobile offers for all of its smartphones, too – and get free data for life, you’ll need to sign up for a 500 MB plan at $20 per month. It’s still a good deal … just not a no-brainer.
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named LinkedIn’s “Top Voice in Technology,” he covers tech and business for Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular daily business blog. He's a bestselling author, and the creator of the popular, free online course, Generative AI for Execs. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.