T-Mobile Offering iPad Air and Retina iPad Mini for $0 Down

Following yesterday's announcement that T-Mobile would begin selling the iPad, the company today debuted introductory plans to offer customers 16 GB cellular versions of the Retina iPad mini and the iPad Air with no downpayment.

Like other T-Mobile "UnCarrier" offerings, the tablets will require a monthly hardware fee, which starts at $26.25 per month for the entry level 16 GB iPad Air and $22.08 for the 16 GB iPad mini with Retina Display. At 24 monthly payments of $26.25, the 16 GB cellular iPad Air ends up costing $630, which is ultimately the same price Apple and other carriers sell the iPad for.

Payments for the 32 and 64 GB versions of both iPads will increase with storage capacity, as will the downpayment. For the 32 GB Air and mini, customers will need to pay $99 up front, and $199 up front for the 64 GB versions. The first-generation iPad mini will also be available from T-Mobile, at zero downpayment and $17.91 per month.

Downpayment comparison chart
T-Mobile plans to provide customers with an entry level data package of 200 MB at no cost, with additional data, up to 4.5 GB, available for an extra fee. T-Mobile also offers daily and weekly data passes for the iPad Air and the iPad minis, charging $5 for 500 MB of daily data or $10 for a week of unlimited data with 1 GB available at LTE speeds.

"When you buy a product as amazing as iPad, you should be able to connect when and where you want, simply and affordably," said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile. "By offering free data for life with incredible upfront pricing, T-Mobile is un-leashing customers to fully enjoy iPad as it was meant to be enjoyed - mobile and connected."

Apple's iPad Air will be available for purchase on November 1, while the iPad mini with Retina display will be available later in November.