With 1&1 there is one more provider in Germany offering micro SIM cards with postpaid price plans for voice and mobile data services to users of the smart-phone iPhone 4 or the tablet PC iPad. New customers can choose between a voice and mobile Internet flat rate for the new Apple smart-phone and two mobile data flat rate tariffs for the Apple tablet PC. In each case the subscriber can decide on a long term commitment of 24 months or a short term commitment of just three months. New customers agreeing to a long term commitment will benefit from a discount. The SIM cards and voice and mobile data price plans of 1&1 are available at www.1und1.de, during the ordering process the user can select the desired micro SIM card format for iPhone 4 and iPad.

Since June 24th the Apple smart-phone iPhone 4 is available in Germany. As before, the operator Telekom (T-Mobile) has the exclusive marketing rights for the new Apple iPhone in this country. Telekom is offering both versions of the iPhone 4 with 16 GB and 32 GB storage capacity for subsidized purchase prices between € 1.00 and € 399.95 only to customers entering or renewing a contract with a term commitment of 24 months. But one month after the iPhone 4 has gone on sale there are some mobile phone providers in Germany offering micro SIM cards with prepaid price plans to iPhone 4 users – here is a short overview.

New update from June 10th: Germany had been one of the few countries in the world where Apple partnered with one operator for marketing the iPhone. Telekom Deutschland (former T-Mobile) has had the right to sell the Apple iPhone in Germany exclusively since the launch of the first iPhone in 2007. Now, other operators such as Vodafone and O2 Germany market the Apple iPhone in Germany - sometimes even unlocked versions of the iPhone 4 without plan. Here is an overview of the new iPhone 4 and iPhone 3G S offers of Telekom, Vodafone and O2 Germany, Apple itself and other mobile phone providers and retailers in Germany.

For three weeks the Apple iPad has been available in Germany. Several mobile phone providers have released micro-SIM cards for accessing the internet with the iPad WiFi + 3G over their mobile networks. At www.teltarif.de we have tested the micro-SIM cards and mobile internet accesses of the four German network operators Telekom (T-Mobile), Vodafone, E-Plus and O2 Germany. This is a short summary of our experiences regarding purchase of the micro SIM card for the Apple iPad and its activation, the selection of mobile data price plans with a short minimum term commitment, network quality and the use of certain mobile data services such as voice over IP or instant messaging.

With the Apple iPad WiFi + 3G models it is possible to access the internet, but not to make phone calls over mobile networks. Making phone calls with the Apple iPad is only possible via a detour over internet telephony (voice over IP or just voip). Providers such as Skype or Sipgate and the software developer Acrobits have released voip apps for iPhone, iPod Touch and the iPad. While Apple iPad WiFi users can make voip calls whenever they find a hotspot for connecting to the web, some operators in Germany prohibit voip calls over their GSM and 3G networks. For example, Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile) and Vodafone only allow voip calls over their networks when the subscriber has booked a special tariff option. On the other hand, customers of O2 Germany may use voip services with their mobile device.

A small crowd gathered at the Media Markt store at Alexa mall in Berlin (close to Alexanderplatz) to buy the Apple iPad on the first day of sale. However, you could still see the running of a few hasty Apple fans and even one guy tripping. Media Markt did not say how many iPad devices they had in store today, it might already be sold out.

On Friday, May 28th, the Apple iPad will be launched in Germany and several other countries. People will be able to buy the tablet PC at Apple stores in Munich, Hamburg or Frankfort as well as at Apple shops in selected – not in every store – consumer electronics retailers such as Saturn, Media Markt and Medimax. I am pretty sure that Gravis will sell the Apple iPad, too, since Gravis stores will open at 8:00 a.m. in the morning – just like the three German Apple stores. It is also possible to order the Apple iPad at the German Apple web store, but then the tablet will not be delivered before June. I have summarized the latest developments regarding points of sale as well as micro SIM cards and price plans for the Apple iPad in Germany. Please read on.

People having bought the Apple iPad WiFi – and not the iPad Wifi + 3G – cannot use a smartphone or an UMTS surf stick to connect to the web over the mobile network. But they can buy a portable UMTS modem router that supports WiFi in order to access the internet via GPRS, EDGE, UMTS or HSPA. With such a device the iPad owner does more freedom of choice regarding mobile data price plans and he or she does not even have to buy one of the special micro SIM cards that fit into the tablet PC. Here are three small 3G modem routers that are available at stores in Germany or will be available soon. Of course, they cannot just be connected to the Apple iPad but to any other WiFi device as well – for example to the iPod Touch or a digital camera.

Several German mobile phone providers have released information about their mobile data tariffs dedicated to the iPad which will hit Apple stores in Germany on May 28th. Only some of these prepaid price plans of discount providers we have already presented as well as the offers of the network operators Vodafone and O2 Germany. Here is a new overview of all micro SIM packages with mobile data tariffs for connecting the iPad to the internet in Germany via GPRS or UMTS. This selection only includes prepaid price plans and postpaid price plans with a short minimum term commitment of just one month.

Now it’s official: Apple will start marketing the iPad in Germany on May 28th. Next week, interested people can already order an iPad at the Apple web store. There will be six different models with 16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB memory capacity and just WiFi or WiFi and 3G connectivity. Apple sells the iPad in Germany to purchase prices between EUR 499.00 (iPad 16 GB WiFi) and EUR 814.00 (iPad 64 GB WiFi + 3G).