An internal Apple sales document clarifies the possible uses of the Apple SIM, which is included in cellular versions of the iPad mini 3 and Apple iPad Air 2. The Apple SIM launched with several supported carriers: T-Mobile, AT&T and Sprint in the US and EE in the UK.
Given that EE is the only available carrier in the UK, the purpose of its existence in the region was unclear. However, this document confirms that customers travelling between the US and the UK can benefit from the deal.
If American customers have chosen T-Mobile or Sprint for their domestic coverage, when travelling to the UK they will be able to use Apple SIM to open an account with EE for data without messing about with changing SIM’s. This feature will be unavailable for AT&T users, which locks the Apple SIM to its network upon activation.
This will also work for UK customers travelling to the US. With an Apple SIM, they will be able to start a data plan on T-Mobile by going to Cellular preferences in the Settings app.
Additional Apple SIMs can be purchased from Apple retail stores, if necessary. For Verizon, the document reaffirms that the company is not participating in the Apple SIM program. In addition, the language is interesting. The text refers to EE as the ‘initial participating cellular’ service provider in the UK, suggesting that more may come aboard shortly.
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I cannot believe that you can buy something unlocked and a carrier can lock it, that has to be illegal…!!!
It does suck, but it is only the SIM that AT&T is locking. The iPad is not locked. You can still put another SIM in and use it with another carrier. Of course it defeats the whole point of the generic SIM card. Being able to travel internationally and use your iPhone with a local plan without having to visit a local mobile store would be awesome!
Hopefully people will vote with their wallets, and send more business to T-Mobile and Sprint and away from AT&T (and Verizon too I guess who are also not participating in the generic SIM cards).
I find it crazy how backward Americas carrier laws are. Here in Australia and most of the world everything is unlocked, you should really fight for moderfication of your network. Oh and NFC payments has been standard for years here its funny hearing you guys freakout about how amazing it is hahaha… America.
The iPads are all unlocked. No carrier in Australia has signed onto Apple SIM, so we’re actually ahead of you there. Name any carrier in Australia that will let you move to another carrier without changing SIMs. You can’t, because there aren’t any.
I really hate AT&T, they are greedy SOB’s.
We should press for everything to be unlocked. Especially now that we are paying for cost for iPads and iPhones, we should be given the choice now to change carriers any time we feel, without having to unlock and go through hassles doing these thing.
Before when phone companies subsidize the cost of the phones, they had the right to lock us into their system. Now they have gotten greedy and are no longer paying the costs so they should not be given the power to lock us in to them.
To be fair, they aren’t locking the iPad, just the SIM. You can still take it out and put in a SIM from another carrier, just like before. But it does reduce the functionality of the Apple SIM.
great
Helpful.
I wish other manufacturers can do this with laptops and tablets…. Wonder why apple doesn’t make the MacBook pro with cellular data. I still think it is better to just use your phone’s hotspot for data and buy wifi version. I really don’t understand cellular on iPad, it isn’t a computer replacement, main reason to purchase it is for the apps.
Well, any chance of Apple selling this for any phone? You’ll be able to change carriers by visiting website.
This just proves what a bunch of greedy bastards AT&T employs. “It’s us or nothing” – Yeah, well Suck IT, Ralph de la Vega – I’m one of your long time customers who is fed up with all the shit that AT&T has been shoveling to its subscribers – and I’m jumping shit. So take all your extra fees and “proprietary” business practices and shove `em!
I Hope Comcast Buys You! You’d be a perfect match, made in Hell!
While I can’t go to a competitive cable company, I can go to a much more competitive wireless provider, who gets that it’s a partnership not a dictatorship and is willing to give and take — Not just TAKE!
Jumping Ship – I wish we could edit our posts. ;)
Apple should have implemented a dual sim strategy…have the Apple sim built in(they’ve thought of doing this before) and still have a removable sim tray for those carriers that don’t want to play ball.
dual sims isn’t the simple way Apple likes to do things but this way the customer isn’t limited and has the option to use either or sim.