T-Mobile Sold More Tablets on iPad Air Launch Day Than Entire Prior Quarter

T-Mobile said the arrival of the iPad on its network allowed the company to sell more tablets last Friday than it sold during the entire prior quarter.

T-Mobile didn’t provide a specific sales number, but its claim jibes with those made by other carriers. AT&T said on Monday that the launch of the iPad Air saw Apple tablet sales triple those from last fall’s iPad launch weekend.

T-Mobile has made much of an offer that gives tablet customers, including those buying the iPad Air, 200 megabytes of data for free each month. “This is a fantastic offer,” marketing chief Mike Sievert said in an interview following the company’s quarterly earnings report.

However, the launch of the free-data offer was somewhat overshadowed by glitches in which some customers were either charged or told they would need to sign up for a monthly plan in order to get the free data. Only customers who want to finance their iPad through T-Mobile and who don’t already have T-Mobile service are required to sign up for a paid plan.

CEO John Legere told AllThingsD that he and his team have been actively trying to reassure customers that free really does mean free. “There was a feeling by a small group of people, especially in social media, that it was a bait and switch,” Legere said. “I was very concerned.” In the end, though, Legere said customers are seeing a company that is responsive and willing to admit mistakes.