T-Mobile (TMUS 0.47%) has, in the words of CEO John Legere, decided to "double down with Apple."
The bombastic boss made that announcement in a blog post and video introducing the company's latest "Un-carrier Amped" initiatives. T-Mobile has been doling out news and improvements to its service all summer, including offering free service to Mexico and Canada, as well as an improved phone upgrade program.
But these latest moves may make the company the carrier of choice for iPhone users.
What is T-Mobile doing?
First, the company has decided to add Apple Music to its Music Freedom offer. Under the deal, which the company includes with all its Simple Choice plans, users get free streaming for 33 different music services -- Apple Music makes it 34. If one of the company's customers has an Apple Music subscription, he or she could then listen on a T-Mobile device for an unlimited amount of time with none of the data counting against his or her monthly allotment.
Legere explained why the company was making that move in his blog post:
Apple Music has become the single most requested new addition to Music Freedom and counts for a full 80% of the requests coming in via Twitter. I heard every one of them, so it's happening right now!
Apple Music is a huge addition to Music Freedom. Millions and millions of people are already using Apple Music, and it's set to shape the streaming music landscape -- like Apple's done with just about everything they touch. So we're stoked to unleash Apple Music for T-Mobile Simple Choice customers.
In addition to adding Apple Music to Music Freedom, T-Mobile has also announced a program where users can get an iPhone 6, which they will be allowed to upgrade to the next iPhone free of charge upon its release. That deal is being offered not just to new customers, but also to existing ones who have the iPhone 6 under the company's $15 a month plan.
Legere spoke about that offer as well:
Now, every single customer who gets a new iPhone 6 this summer as part of this deal can simply swap it for the next iPhone, if they upgrade before the end of the year. Yeah, that's what I said. Just swap it out and pay NOTHING more -- nothing up front and no change to your monthly payment. No deposit. No fees. Nothing. You get the next iPhone guaranteed. And you get to LOCK IN that industry-best promotional price of $15 a month.
T-Mobile is also giving existing iPhone customers who have its Jump On Demand upgrade service priority access to the new iPhone, putting them first in line when it gets released.
T-Mobile is riding with a winner
Legere and T-Mobile have smartly hitched their wagon to Apple. These two "Amped" initiatives should appeal to people who are budget conscious but want the latest iPhone.
The free streaming offer for Apple Music is a pretty big deal for anyone who streams a lot of music but does not want to pay for an unlimited data plan. The iPhone 6 offer is very attractive, especially as we get closer to the release of the next generation device. These are smart deals that should help T-Mobile keep up its unprecedented momentum and continued subscriber growth.
