Will Apple SIM Kill SIM Cards?

At their most recent conference, Apple announced that their new iPads would come with something called an Apple SIM. It wasn’t talked about a lot other than to say it would allow users to switch between carriers for services. However, that one sentence seems to have generated not only a little confusion, but also a lot of speculation about whether or not Apple’s new card will kill the SIM card as we all know it. As an article by Extreme Tech pointed out, Apple has always pushed for smaller and simpler SIM cards. They were the first to switch to both the miscro SIM and then the nano SIM. It doesn’t take a genius to see the power that Apple has in the industry, and so this most recent announcement is not only clever but also yet another example of Apple throwing their weight into the industry to make a change. “Apple is the only company that has the gravitas to be able to pull off this kind of deal. Other manufacturers will look on in complete awe, because it just further underlines the strength of position Apple has,” Ben Wood, director of research at CCS Insight said in a PC World article. The big question is: how will it work? The way it’s explained on the website is that the SIM itself is tuned to several different carriers (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, EE) and users can choose between no-contract (or short contract) services in a selection screen right on the device–no additional calls to carriers or negotiations needed. When traveling, it would allow users to easily access a local network without having to search for a compatible SIM card. It sounds pretty simple. But, at the end of the day, I don’t think this is going to be the death knell for the beloved (or hated) SIM card. Not only is such a SIM not a super viable option for the majority of cell phone users (who are postpaid) but, Apple is going to have to convince enough operators to get on board for it to really take off. Regardless, the Apple SIM is definitely an important step, and I (and every other phone company) will certainly be watching to see how well received it is. But, what do you think? What would it take for you to use an Apple SIM? Let me know in the comments!]]>