iPad Air 2 has an “Apple SIM” to let customers use any carrier
Hidden in Apple’s website for the iPad Air 2 is a curious bit of explanatory copy detailing the tablet’s cellular wireless capabilities. Describing a mysterious “Apple SIM,” the website explains that the new flagship iPad requires no changing of SIM cards to switch carriers. Instead, reconfiguration of an included Apple SIM allows users to instantly switch between carrier networks of their choosing, from AT&T to Sprint to T-Mobile. SIM cards, or Subscriber Identity Modules, are the currency of cellular contracts—they help wireless carriers like AT&T or T-Mobile identify your device and deliver cellular service. Every LTE smartphone and tablet has one, and only supports one , but the iPad Air 2 is an entirely different animal.
Previously, customers purchasing the iPad cellular models had to make a choice at the point of sale as to which carrier they intended to use—the iPads themselves featured distinct antennae for connecting to different carrier bands. In the past, GSM and CDMA versions of the iPhone allowed for connections to AT&T or Verizon respectively, and iPads came in distinct models for each of Apple’s carrier partners. Because of the technology’s reliance on CDMA antenna types, the transition to LTE networks complicated matters for previously GSM-only carriers like AT&T. Now, Apple’s website only lists one model for the iPad Air 2 versus two or three for its predecessors—meaning a purchaser of any iPad can switch between and use any of the wireless carriers.
The dream of one cellular device supporting all possible carrier bands is nothing new. The iPhone 4s was touted as a “world phone,” with one model sporting the full range of possible carrier antennae. But the device was still locked to one carrier unless customers opted for a full-price $649 factory-unlocked phone, which necessitated a GSM-compatible SIM card for activation—something many CDMA carriers (namely, Verizon and Sprint) didn’t offer at the time. Today, a range of iPhone models spans the wealth of possible carrier signal bands, and customers have to choose between AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, or T-Mobile at the point of purchase. But Apple SIM might soon put an end to carrier lock-in, at least for iPads. And the implications for the rest of Apple’s iOS lineup could be huge.
“The new Apple SIM is preinstalled on iPad Air 2 with Wi-Fi + Cellular models. The Apple SIM gives you the flexibility to choose from a variety of short-term plans from select carriers in the U.S. and UK right on your iPad. So whenever you need it, you can choose the plan that works best for you — with no long-term commitments. And when you travel, you may also be able to choose a data plan from a local carrier for the duration of your trip.”
A theoretical iPhone that shipped with Apple SIM built in—say, the inevitable iPhone 6s or 7—could ship with one set of antennae and need no physical SIM tray at all. Functionally, every iPhone would be available “unlocked,” and users would select their carrier preference from a set of options at the point of activation. (Upgrade pricing in the United States complicates this—the carriers’ discounted $199 price point along with a service contract might be difficult to negotiate if users can hot-swap their phone’s carrier allegiance on the fly.) “Unlocked” adherents might bristle at the possibility of fewer options, but the removal of SIM tray mechanisms could allow for lighter, thinner iOS products going forward.
Apple has already sought to streamline the SIM card process, twice reinventing the card’s physical size to accommodate more compact and thin iPhone products. With the iPhone 4 in 2010, Apple replaced the industry-standard mini-SIM with the significantly smaller micro-SIM. And in 2012, the iPhone 5 favored the new nano-SIM rather than the massive-by-comparison micro-SIM. Even today, modern smartphones from competitors have been sloth to adopt the micro-SIM and are even more reluctant to jump on the nano-SIM variant. Apple is a company comfortable with making design compromises at the SIM card’s expense, so the omission of removable SIM cards altogether would be far from surprising.
The Apple SIM model makes more sense in the cellular iPad’s pay-as-you-go historical precedent, but it represents innovative thinking around the topic of SIM card activation and carrier exclusivity. The iPad Air 2 is a “world tablet” like the iPhone 4s was a world phone, allowing Apple to ship one set of cellular units for all carriers and better accommodate demand. Gone are the days when Apple Stores ran out of cellular iPad models for more popular carriers—and soon, Apple might expand this simplified approach to revolutionize the overcomplicated process of purchasing and activating a smartphone.