T-Mobile courts iPads and unlocked iPhones with Micro-SIMs

T-Mobile USA is now specifically targeting unlocked iPhones on its website by offering Micro-SIMs that are compatible with the officially, and unofficially, unlocked versions of Apple’s GSM iPhone, reports Appadvice. The iPhone is an exclusive to AT&T in the US, so T-Mobile has not been able to overtly court these users.

Now that Apple is offering unlocked versions of the GSM iPhone directly from its website for $649, T-Mobile is able to directly market these SIMs to iPhone users without getting heat from Apple or AT&T.

Already have a GSM phone or iPhone that you need to activate – or have an unlocked GSM phone you want to use on the T-Mobile network? Just get a Micro SIM card and choose a plan. Slip the ready-to-use Micro SIM Card into your phone and you’re ready to go.

These Micro-SIMs can also be used in the GSM models of iPad and iPad 2, also technically AT&T exclusives. iPads are not locked to a carrier though, and a simple carrier settings change will enable them to work on T-Mobile just fine, albeit at slower 2G speeds.

The Micro-SIMs are offered on T-Mobile’s website for free, but are tied into a 2-year contract. This makes them technically a worse deal for iPad users as AT&T offers a no-contract data plan. If, however, AT&T service in your area is terrible or nonexistent, this does provide you with another option for an unlocked iPhone.

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iPhone owners have been unlocking the iPhone since 2007 for use on T-Mobile’s network via unofficial unlocking tools available on jailbroken devices. T-Mobile currently carries over 1 million unlocked iPhones on its network.

As always, rumors of the iPhone coming to T-Mobile persist, but it is unlikely that we will see any additional US carriers this year. Apple is launching a new iPhone model this fall on the two largest (by far) carriers in the states and I think that T-Mobile will have to remain an alternative for unlocked iPhone users for now.