Doesn't this completely negate the point of "Apple SIM?" I thought the whole purpose was to allow people to switch carriers simply and quickly.<p>They even sold it as something which would allow you to switch into different inexpensive plans as and when you needed it. That was their damn sales pitch.<p>If you need to buy tons of $5 SIMs, and walk around with them to switch, then the entire thing has absolutely no benefit and you should just get a result SIM which might be free anyway.
Yeah... I think I'll stick to unlocked phones and swap out regular, 3GPP-mandated standard SIM cards. I'll know exactly what I get, which isn't regulated by some shady operator+manufacturer deals.
... but you can buy a new SIM to switch carriers if you need to:<p>> If your Apple SIM becomes dedicated to a specific network and you want to choose from other carrier programs, you can purchase a new Apple SIM from an Apple Retail store.<p>Better than having to buy a new iPad.
US carriers are so silly. People can easily use unlocked phones in Europe and - this might shock them - the sky hasn't fallen! The usual duopolies are still the same duopolies as they were a decade ago.<p>You're buying a phone - you should be a allowed to put a different SIM in it and "cheat" on your network. It's not like you won't be paying them if you're in the contract anyway. If the contract ends - then you're free to leave them anyway. So why are they making such a big deal about SIM-locking?
While there are certainly user benefits (like easier switching between providers) that's not the primary point of the Apple SIM.<p>Think about SKUs and inventory.<p>On launch day this month, Apple had 2 phones, with 3 different storage sizes, available in 3 different colors. Apple SIM is about not have to have another multiple on top of all those combination about which network the phone works on (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, etc).<p>Apple SIM lets them go from 42+ SKUS, to 12.<p>User choice is nice and Apple certainly cares about the user experience. But Tim Cook made his bones at Apple as master of supply and distribution chains. Apple SIM helps them, even if the carriers all balk on allowing users to switch providers via software.