Recently we had reported that the Japanese government is now considering removing SIM locks from phones sold in the country. This means that users will be able to take their phones and use it with any carrier they like, or take it overseas with them and use a local SIM card so that they can avoid roaming charges. It seems that Apple is taking steps of their own by offering up unlocked iPads in Japan. Previously the cellular version of the iPad was similar to how phones are being sold in the country, which is that they are sold with SIM cards locked to one of Japan’s carriers.
Apple confirmed today that it has released an unlocked variant of its cellular iPad in Japan allowing users to buy the device and use it with their carrier of choice. The new iPads will be available through Apple retail stores in the country as well as through Apple’s online store. In addition to picking between local carriers, it will also allow users to use their iPads with SIM cards for other carriers when traveling abroad. The carrier unlocked iPads are available for both cellular iPad Air and iPad mini models. Previously Apple sold cellular iPads through retail stores in the country with SIM cards locked to one of various supported carriers such as SoftBank and NTT Docomo.
