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Apple today announced its Q3 2014 earnings results, revealing that the company pulled in $37.4 billion in revenue and $7.7 billion in profit during the quarter.

Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2014 third quarter ended June 28, 2014. The Company posted quarterly revenue of $37.4 billion and quarterly net profit of $7.7 billion, or $1.28 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $35.3 billion and net profit of $6.9 billion, or $1.07 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 39.4 percent compared to 36.9 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 59 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

Apple, as always, has also disclosed sales numbers for its main revenue generators. The company sold:

• 35.2 million iPhones
• 13.2 million iPads
• 4.4 million Macs
• 2.9 million iPods

Apple’s guidance for the quarter indicated revenue results between $36 and $38 billion, which Apple met.

Here’s Apple CEO Tim Cook on the results:

“Our record June quarter revenue was fueled by strong sales of iPhone and Mac and the continued growth of revenue from the Apple ecosystem, driving our highest EPS growth rate in seven quarters,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We are incredibly excited about the upcoming releases of iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, as well as other new products and services that we can’t wait to introduce.”

Here’s newly instated CFO Luca Maestri with his thoughts:

“We generated $10.3 billion in cash flow from operations and returned over $8 billion in cash to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases during the June quarter,” said Luca Maestri, Apple’s CFO. “We have now taken action on over $74 billion of our $130 billion capital return program with six quarters remaining to its completion.”

Apple’s Q3 has been relatively quiet in terms of new product announcements, but the Cupertino-company did announce major moves such as the impending acquisition of Beats Electronics and Beats Music along with an expansive future partnership with IBM for enterprise-related initiatives.

These numbers compare to last quarter’s results of $45.6 billion in revenue and sales of 43.7 million iPhones, 16.3 million iPads, and 4.1 million Macs. You can also compare today’s numbers to analyst expectations from before the announcement. Apple is also holding a conference call today at 2 PM Pacific/5 PM Eastern time, which we will be covering live. Cook and Maestri will likely share prepared remarks and then take a series of questions at the end from financial analysts.

For Q4 2014, Apple is providing guidance between $37 billion and $40 billion. The full Q3 earnings results release is below:

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Apple and IBM announced a new partnership today that will see the companies collaborate to bring over 100 enterprise apps & cloud services to the iPhone and iPad and launch a new AppleCare service specifically for enterprise customers. The products will be branded “IBM MobileFirst for iOS Solutions” and IBM will also soon sell iPhones and iPads to enterprise customers along with the new services:
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Apple has announced that it will be holding its next media event on October 22nd, which is in line with expectations. The event will take place at 10 AM Pacific/1 PM Eastern Time at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, California.

The event will likely showcase new versions of the iPad, including a redesigned full-sized model that looks like a larger iPad mini and a new iPad mini that boasts a Retina display.

Also in Apple’s pipeline are new iWork suites, a new version of the Apple TV, new MacBook Pros with faster chipsets, OS X Mavericks, and the new Mac Pro. It’s unclear which of the aforementioned products will actually get stage time this time around, but the new Mac Pro, MacBook Pros, and OS X Mavericks are the most likely to appear in addition to the tablets…

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Photo from trade-in program training

In line with our reports from earlier this week, Apple has announced that its Apple Store iPhone trade-in-program has launched today. The confirmation comes by way of comment to CNBC.

The trade-in-program is officially called the “iPhone Reuse and Recycling Program” and it is available in Apple Stores across the United States. It is powered in-part by BrightStar…

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President Obama and Vice President Biden with an iPhone

United States President Barack Obama and his administration have issued a veto on a potential ban for iPhone 4 and 3G-capable iPad 2 models in the United States. The news comes by way of a notice from the U.S. Government. The official ruling comes from Michael Froman, a trade representative for the United States:

In addition, on January 8, 2013, the Department of Justice and United States Patent and Trademark Office issued an important Policy Statement entitled “Policy Statement on Remedies for Standard-Essential Patents Subject to Voluntary FRAND Commitments” (“Policy Statement”).2 The Policy Statement makes clear that standards, and particularly voluntary consensus standards set by standards developing organizations (“SDO”), have incorporated important technical advances that are fundamental to the interoperability of many of the products on which consumers have come to rely, including the types of devices that are the subject of the Commission’s determination. The Policy Statement expresses substantial concerns, which I strongly share, about the potential harms that can result from owners of standards­essential patents (“SEPs”) who have made a voluntary commitment to offer to license SEPs on terms that are fair, reasonable, and non­discriminatory (“FRAND”), gaining undue leverage and engaging in “patent hold­up”, i.e., asserting the patent to exclude an implementer of the standard from a market to obtain a higher price for use of the patent than would have been possible before the standard was set, when alternative technologies could have been chosen. At the same time, technology implementers also can cause potential harm by, for example, engaging in “reverse hold­up” (“hold­out”), e. g., by constructive refusal to negotiate a FRAND license with the SEP owner or refusal to pay what has been determined to be a FRAND royalty.

The would be, no-longer affected Apple devices include the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 2 3G, and the original 3G-capable iPad. This ruling mostly affects the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4 as those are the pertinent products that Apple actually currently sells in the U.S. The President’s block of the ITC ban is the first block of this kind since the 1987 Reagan administration.

Newer iPhone and iPad models, such as the iPhone 5 and 3rd/4th generation iPad, are not affected because they use a different cellular chipset design.

Both Apple and Samsung have both responded to the news. 

You can read the full letter from the government below:

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Microsoft just released the Office 365 iOS application (iPhone only), allowing 365 subscribers to “access, view and edit … Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint documents from virtually anywhere”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDR150tAOkk

Of note, Microsoft is currently running a commercial and online campaign touting the Windows 8 RT tablets’ ability to edit Office documents (they claim that the iPad can only read documents rather than edit them). It seems that Microsoft violated the letter of this ad campaign and the spirit while somehow still giving Apple folks a sub-par experience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pHg0ZEY4NXA

From the first look, it seems the formatting abilities are extremely limited – especially compared to other document editing iOS apps like Quickoffice Pro – but the integration with 365 will definitely be appreciated by subscribers of the service. In the meantime, you can find a quick gallery here: 
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Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/66081658@N05/6131940674/sizes/o/in/photostream/">Geekah on Flickr</a>

The United States Trade Agency has ruled that Apple has violated one of Samsung’s smartphone and tablet-related patents.

Due to this ruled breach of Samsung’s patent, Apple could face limited bans on certain AT&T iPhone and iPad models. Some of the products named include: iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 2 3G, and the original 3G-capable iPad.

Update: Apple has commented on the ruling to AllThingsD:

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This morning, Apple officially announced that its 2013 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will take place at Moscone West in San Francisco from Monday, June 10 until Friday, June 14th.

Tickets for the conference will go on sale at 10 AM Pacific / 1PM Eastern time tomorrow, April 25th.

The conference typically includes several sessions for iOS and OS X developers to work on their code and new projects alongside Apple engineers. Additionally, Apple engineers will make presentations about new developer-focused features in iOS and OS X.

Indeed, in Apple’s announcement of the WWDC 2013 dates, Apple says that the conference will include details about the next iOS and OS X releases:

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Apple has released iOS 6.1 to iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and Apple TV users. This public release follows five beta seeds to developers. The update is currently coming through over-the-air. To download the update directly from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, head to Settings, then General, then Software Update. Your device will include installation instructions and release information here.

The update includes the following improvements for iOS device users:

• LTE support for more carriers (Apple previously announced that it would add more LTE carriers this week). 36 additional iPhone carriers. 23 additional iPad carriers. 
• Purchase movie tickets through Fandango via Siri (US only)
• iTunes Match subscribers can now download individual songs from iCloud
• New button to reset the Advertising Identifier.

As we previously noted, Apple TV users will enjoy new Bluetooth keyboard compatibility. We found that using a Bluetooth keyboard greatly enhances the Apple TV experience. Additionally, Apple has included new iOS 6.1 APIs for developers to be able to better integrate Apple’s mapping database into their App Store apps.

In a press release announcing the release of 6.1 (below), Apple’s Phil Schiller noted with “nearly 300 million iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices on iOS 6 in just five months, it may be the most popular new version of an OS in history.”

We have posted more details on the Apple TV software update here. Direct iPhone, iPad, iPod touch links and Apple press release:

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T-Mobile USA has announced that it has struck an agreement with Apple to begin supporting Apple products in 2013. Deutsche Telecom Rene Obermann made the announcement to analysts today.

The company also confirmed the announcement in a press release today:

In addition, T-Mobile USA has entered into an agreement with Apple to bring products to market together in 2013.

Deutsche Telecom also notes that this new agreement with Apple would affect the company’s cash flow:

The Group’s free cash flow is expected to decrease to around EUR 5 billion in 2013 (scheduled figure for 2012: around EUR 6 billion), primarily as a result of the increased capital expenditure and the systematic implementation of the Challenger strategy in the U.S. market, including the agreement with Apple. The Group’s free cash flow is expected to be around EUR 6 billion in 2015 (including MetroPCS).

It is currently unclear which products this deal will cover. Apple currently sells both the iPhone and the iPad on either Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint on the U.S., but it is unclear if T-Mobile USA will get both the iPhone and iPad, or only one of those products.

Late last month, Merrill Lynch analyst Scott Craig claimed that T-Mobile USA would announce an iPhone deal with Apple on either December 6th or 7th.

In the middle of last month, T-Mobile had alluded to the iPhone being too expensive to carry:

Make no mistake about it: We would love to carry the iPhone. However, we want the economies to be right for us, said T-Mobile COO Jim Alling, who, according to Fierce Mobile, spoke candidly during a discussion at the Morgan Stanley Twelfth-Annual Technology, Media, and Telecoms Conference in Barcelona, Spain.

Throughout the year, we have been reporting that T-Mobile had been lighting up iPhone-compatible 4G networks. Notably, T-Mobile used the Moscone West Center as a testbed for this network during Apple’s early-June Worldwide Developers Conference.

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After being unveiled in late-October, Apple has officially announced that the 21.5-inch iMac will become available this Friday, Nov. 30. The latest iMac is the eighth generation and “is the most beautiful iMac we have ever made,” according to Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller. It features a 5mm edge, edge-to-edge glass, LED-backlit display with IPS technology, a FaceTime HD camera, dual mics, four USB 3 ports, two Thunderbolt ports, OS X Mountain Lion, Bluetooth 4.0, and more.

The 21.5-inch iMac is available in two versions. The 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 model (Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz) is available for $1,299, featuring 8GB of 1600MHz DDR3 memory, 1 TB (5400-rpm) hard drive, and a NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M graphics processor with 512MB of GDDR5 memory. The 2.9GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 model (Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz) is available for $1,499, featuring similar specs, except a 1TB (5400-rpm) hard drive that can be configured into a Fusion Drive.

Apple also has a 27-inch version iMac on its way. As we reported earlier this month, the 27-inch version is still set to launch sometime in December, according to Apple. CEO Tim Cook has already discussed that the company is expecting shortages of iMacs. Our sources have indicated that the new iMac is in relatively short supply, mainly outside of the United States. Check out Cook’s comments below:

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At its September media event Apple showed off the new iTunes 11, software complete with a redesigned player, new mini player, redesigned store, preview history, iCloud integration, and more. Apple promised the new iTunes was going to be released during October, however, an Apple spokesperson speaking to CNET just announced that Apple has delayed iTunes 11 until November in order “to get it right.”

“The new iTunes is taking longer than expected and we wanted to take a little extra time to get it right. We look forward to releasing this new version of iTunes with its dramatically simpler and cleaner interface, and seamless integration with iCloud before the end of November.”

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Following Apple’s major executive-related news this afternoon, Apple CEO Tim Cook has emailed employees with information on the announced changes. Additionally, Cook has shed light on some new details not included in the public press release. First of all, Cook thanks Apple’s iOS Senior Vice President Scott Forstall “for all of his many contributions to Apple over his career.” As for Forstall’s replacement, Craig Federighi, Cook notes that Federighi led the successful release of OS X Mountain Lion earlier this year.

I am also announcing that Scott Forstall will be leaving Apple next year and will serve as an advisor to me during the interim. I want to thank Scott for all of his many contributions to Apple over his career.

Perhaps in bigger news from this internal email, Cook says that Bob Mansfield, the new executive in charge of Apple’s new “Technologies” group will remain at Apple for two years. This is notable as Mansfield announced his retirement earlier this year. Mansfield came back to lead this new Technologies group, and Dan Riccio has filled the void of Mansfield’s former post as Senior VP of Hardware Engineering.

As part of this, I am thrilled to tell you that Bob will remain with Apple for an additional two years. Bob has led some of our most challenging engineering projects for many years.

As for John Browett’s departure, Cook is less thankful (as he was for Forstall). Cook adds an extra note regarding those in Apple’s retail division by saying, “this phenomenal team of talented and dedicated people works their hearts out making our customers happy. They have our respect, our admiration and our undying support.”

Cook also shares additional information on Jony Ive’s expanded role at Apple.

Cook ends his letter with a personal note, thanking everyone at Apple for working so hard:

Please join me in congratulating everyone on their new roles. I’d like to thank everyone for working so hard so that Apple can continue to make the world’s best products and delight our customers. I continue to believe that Apple has the most talented and most innovative people on the planet, and I feel privileged and inspired to be able to work with all of you.

The full message to employees is after the break:

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Huge news: Apple just announced in a press release this afternoon that Vice President of iOS Software Scott Forstall is leaving Apple next year. Additionally, John Browett, head of retail, is out. Apple CEO Tim Cook will take over retail as an interim until a replacement is found. Cook discussed the news:

“We are in one of the most prolific periods of innovation and new products in Apple’s history,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “The amazing products that we’ve introduced in September and October, iPhone 5, iOS 6, iPad mini, iPad, iMac, MacBook Pro, iPod touch, iPod nano and many of our applications, could only have been created at Apple and are the direct result of our relentless focus on tightly integrating world-class hardware, software and services.”

[tweet https://twitter.com/llsethj/status/261881890993233921]

We heard about Browett last week, but we were not able to verify the information at the time:

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Craig Federighi is taking over Forstall’s iOS position, and he will also lead the OS X division. Senior Vice President of Internet Services Eddy “the fixer” Cue will take over Siri and Maps, as both products are now falling in the same group as the iTunes Store, App Store, iBookstore, and iCloud. Cue famously took over the MobileMe group after the recent debacle, and he successfully led the group through its iCloud transition.

Additionally, Jony Ive will “provide leadership and direction for Human Interface (HI) across the company in addition to his role as the leader of Industrial Design.” That’s an interesting new role for the Industrial Design guru, who will probably have more of a hand in iOS now.

Bob Mansfield, who will not be retiring now, will lead a new Technologies group: “Apple’s wireless teams across the company in one organization, fostering innovation in this area at an even higher level.”

According to a Businessweek profile, Forstall had a fiery relationship with other executives, including Jony Ive and Bob Mansfield. Some other bits from that article.

1. “He was as close to Steve as anybody at the company,” says Andy Miller, who headed Apple’s fledgling iAd group.
2. Insiders say he has such a fraught relationship with other members of the executive team—including lead designer Jony Ive and Mac hardware chief Bob Mansfield—that they avoid meetings with him unless Tim Cook is present.
3. “I once referred to Scott as Apple’s chief a–hole,” says former Apple software engineer Mike Lee, who left the company in 2010. “And I meant it as a compliment.”
4. According to the story, iPod godfather Tony Fadell and Jean-Marie Hullot CTO of Apple’s application division until 2005 left Apple after clashing repeatedly with Forstall. Jon Rubinstein, a former iPod chief who left for Palm in 2006, chatted amiably at a Silicon Valley party last month, until Forstall’s name came up. Then he turned away abruptly. “Goodbye!” he said.
5. Before the iPhone 4 went to market, Forstall persuaded Jobs to allow dozens of his engineers to carry prototypes of the device to better test its network performance and minimize dropped calls, says a former Apple employee who was a manager at the time. That’s how Gizmodo got ahold of it.
6. Forstall has cashed in over $40 million in Apple Stock. Brian Marshall, an analyst at ISI Group, says that he would consider downgrading Apple stock if Forstall were to leave.

Notably, Forstall was not on-stage at the recent iPad mini event an instead was in the crowd. The statement from Apple today said Forstall would stay on as an advisor to Cook, but that’s likely just to tie up loose ends.

Browett, on the other hand, got the boot earlier, and—as any Apple Retail persons will tell you—his presence won’t be needed going forward.

The press release is below:

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It’s been quite an exciting week for those glued to the latest out of Cupertino, and this morning it gets better. As promised, Apple made the iPad mini available on its website for pre-order. The .68-pound tablet that is “thinner than a pencil” offers users a 7.9-inch experience on top of Apple’s traditional iOS. Apple is offering the iPad mini at $329 for 16GB, $429 for 32GB, and $529 for 64GB. Apple plans to ship the first batch to customers Nov. 2 and will make it available in-store at 8AM.

For those who want to get the iPad mini with 4G capabilities added on, they’ll have to do a bit of waiting. For the same storage capacity options as the Wi-Fi-only model, the Wi-Fi + 4G model will be priced at $459, $559, and $659. Apple revealed at its event this week that orders will ship in “mid-November” for Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint variants.

The iPad mini has a 7.9-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Multi-Touch display with IPS technology, A5 dual-core processor, dimensions of “200 x 134.7 x 7.2mm,” a 5-megapixel-iSight camera, 1.2-megapixel FaceTime camera, and a weight of 308g.

Additionally, as planned, Apple made the fourth-generation iPad available for customers to pre-order this evening. The fourth-generation iPad features an updated 1.3GHz A6X dual-core processer, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, and 5-megapixel back-facing camera.

Apple makes available an iPad mini Smart Cover that comes in six colors, including: gray, silver, pink, green, blue, and (PRODUCT) RED. Apple also offers its slew of 10-inch iPad accessories, including a Smart Cover and Smart Case.

Several readers are reporting they had no issues pre-ordering either product, as the Apple Store looks to be running smoothly. Pre-orders are also available via the Apple Store app on iOS.

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Apple announced its fiscal Q4 earnings this afternoon. The company is reporting $36 billion in revenue, $8.2 billion net profit, or $8.67 per diluted share. As for device sales during the quarter, the folks in Cupertino cranked out 26.9 million iPhones, 14 million iPads (up 25 percent y/o/y), 4.9 million Macs (up 1 percent y/o/y), and 5.3 million iPods (down 19 percent y/o/y).

Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Peter Oppenheimer shared their thoughts on the company’s performance:

“We’re very proud to end a fantastic fiscal year with record September quarter results,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We’re entering this holiday season with the best iPhone, iPad, Mac and iPod products ever, and we remain very confident in our new product pipeline.”

“We’re pleased to have generated over $41 billion in net income and over $50 billion in operating cash flow in fiscal 2012,” said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO. “Looking ahead to the first fiscal quarter of 2013, we expect revenue of about $52 billion and diluted earnings per share of about $11.75.”

For the holiday quarter, Apple is expecting revenue of $52 billion and diluted earnings per share of about $11.75. Holiday shoppers picking up the iPad mini, iPod touches, etc., will fuel the quarter.

Apple announced it would continue with its plan to award a cash dividend of $2.65 per share of the company’s common stock—as previously explained by the company. The dividend is payable “on November 15, 2012, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on November 12, 2012.”

Cook and company will hold their conference call at 5 p.m. EST to discuss numbers, iPhone 5, and more. Follow along on our live blog for the latest.

Press release below:

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[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5mac/status/248054034156617728]

Engadget:

[viddler id=82e97344 w=545 h=307]

The iPhone 5 is a significant improvement over the iPhone 4S in nearly every regard, and in those areas that didn’t see an upgrade over its predecessor — camera, storage capacity — one could make a strong case that the iPhone 4S was already ahead of the curve. Every area, that is, except for the OS. If anything, it’s the operating system here that’s beginning to feel a bit dated and beginning to show its age.

Still, the iPhone 5 absolutely shines. Pick your benchmark and you’ll find Apple’s thin new weapon sitting at or near the top. Will it convince you to give up your Android or Windows Phone ways and join the iOS side? Maybe, maybe not. Will it wow you? Hold it in your hand — you might be surprised. For the iOS faithful this is a no-brainer upgrade. This is without a doubt the best iPhone yet. This is a hallmark of design. This is the one you’ve been waiting for.

The Loop:

Many of us have experience with LTE from using the iPad. I’ll tell you it’s great to see it on the iPhone. I actually use LTE more on the iPhone than I do on the iPad, simply because I use the phone a lot more. The speed is incredibly fast, especially when compared to what the iPhone 4S could do.

Like the faster processor and graphics, LTE gives you the feeling of never waiting for anything. Apps open fast and you are ready to work or browse the Web right away.

The Telegraph:

[ooyala code=”xweHZ3NTp9064-eacNLMRkmDFJNXZGhI”]

Specificationists will say that with the iPhone 5 Apple is now behind its rivals in terms of features but in truth it’s hard to think of a feature offered elsewhere that the average person – as opposed to the tech obsessive – really needs. NFC is not sufficiently widely used, wireless charging is nice but still requires a charger plugged into the wall and most people get along fine without removable storage. The iPhone 5 is a great smartphone made even better. It’s fast, lightweight and backed by the largest application store for any device. It’s also probably the most beautiful smartphone anyone has ever made.

More reviews below:

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It certainly been a huge week for those glued to the latest out of Cupertino: After the iPhone 5 unveiled at a media event in San Francisco Sept. 12, Apple further continued the excitement by making the device available for pre-order on its website this morning in nine countries. The three largest U.S. carriers also joined in on the fun, offering the iPhone 5 at $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB, $399 for 64GB on a two-year contract. Customers will find plenty of delays when attempting to get their pre-orders in, which is typical for Apple iPhone launches. Word on the street is that the Apple Store app is the quickest way.

Apple further made the fifth-generation iPod touch available, featuring five new colors and a 5-megapixel camera, along with the seventh-generation 5.4mm iPod nano, for pre-order this evening. Customers will be able to pre-order the new iPod touch starting at $199 for 16GB and $299 for 32GB, while the new iPod nano starts at $149. Apple said it would begin shipping both in October.

As for when the iPhone 5 will ship, Apple said the first batch of pre-orders will be made available Sept. 21 in the U.S., Canada, U.K., France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore alongside in-store units. As pre-orders begin ramping up late into the evening morning, we expect shipping times to start increasing quickly. We laid out a full pricing matrix below: 

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T-Mobile announced a huge new “unlimited and unlocked iPhone” initiative today that will launch Sept. 12—a date that should ring a bell. The nation’s fourth-largest carrier does not and will not officially carry the iPhone, but its parent company carries the iPhone all over Europe and was even the original carrier in its home Germany. The biggest issue with T-Mobile USA and the iPhone is that T-Mobile’s 3G/4G bands are incompatible with Apple’s iPhone hardware. Therefore, a million plus iPhone users are kept to EDGE 2.5G speeds, which seemed to work O.K. for the original iPhone, but five years have passed since it first launched and expectations have largely risen.

Today’s announcement is a big one for T-Mobile and will be accompanied by a large marketing push. T-Mobile claims —and the math seems to work— that it will save users $50 a month over similar AT&T plans. The total savings amount equals $1,200 over the life of a two-year contract.

T-Mobile will have a store-within-a-store for iPhone users who want to make the hop. Trained T-Mobile salespeople will be able to instruct users on unlocking, but they will not physically open the devices. This is an unprecedented move…especially for a device that T-Mobile does not officially carry.

Getting your hands on an unlocked device is pretty easy and will probably get a lot easier over the next weeks as the new iPhone is announced. Apple has offered the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S unlocked almost since it released last year and you can currently snap up a new one at eBay for about $580.

T-Mobile has some more good news for prospective iPhone customers today: Remember the iPhone-compatible 1900MHz network it demo’ed at WWDC? That same 1900MHz 4G network is rolling out in Seattle, Las Vegas, Washington, DC, and the New York metro area currently (readers? sightings?).

Even better: T-Mobile’s tests of unlocked iPhone 4S devices running over 4G (HSPA+) on its 1900 band have recorded 70 percent faster average download speeds than iPhone 4S on AT&T’s network. We will wait for neutral parties to review before judging and, obviously, LTE is coming for the iPhone 5, which T-Mobile expects will run on its network.

However, the best part might be the company behind the network. T-Mobile allows its customers to make and receive calls over Wi-Fi when there is no network on their smartphones. The iPhone is no exception. T-Mobile has the Bobsled app for iPhone for making calls. This is fantastic not only when in low -service areas but also when travelling abroad. T-Mobile will release other apps soon for things like live TV, account management and visual voicemail.

We’re also developing iOS versions of helpful T-Mobile applications like T-Mobile myAccount, T-MobileVisual Voicemail and T-Mobile TV (we already offer an iOS version of our popular Bobsled application).

For those thinking about making the jump, remember that T-Mobile is not an official carrier and things like the following may apply:

Also, AT&T offers customers a chance to request a device unlock for their iPhone. The main requirements are that the device is an AT&T iPhone and all contract and term commitments are satisfied before submitting a request. The carrier can take up to a week to process a request, and it “reserves the right to deny any unlock request that it concludes would result in an abuse of this policy or is part of an effort to defraud AT&T or its customers.” AT&T further said it could “alter this unlocking policy at its discretion without advance notice.”

Check out AT&T’s Customer Device Unlock page for more information.

The full press release follows:
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