Daniel Hruska Nový iPad Air 2 brings great new functions, especially of the camera that we know from iPhones – slow-motion shots or time-lapse. The tablet also received a new Touch ID. Quite a lot of time was devoted to these news at the keynote, but the new iPad got one more interesting thing – Apple SIM.
Yes, Apple is slowly and subtly starting to dabble in the trade of operators. Not that he started building his mobile network and offering his own SIM and tariffs, he goes about it in his own "different" way. You simply have a universal data SIM card in your iPad and you can change operators and use their data plan whenever you want.
Apple.com:
Apple SIM gives you the ability to choose from a number of short-term plans from selected operators in the US and UK directly from your iPad. Whoever you need, you can choose the tariff that suits you best - without long-term employment. And when you're on the go, you'll choose the local operator's tariff for the duration of your stay.
For now, this all applies to the three carriers in the US (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile) and EE (a combination of Orange and T-Mobile) in the UK. According to Apple, participating carriers are subject to change. It cannot yet be assumed that Apple SIM would also be supported by Czech operators in the near future, but who knows, maybe they will catch on.
It is still too early to make big predictions, but Apple SIM has the potential to really muddy the waters for mobile operators and change the principle of their operation, which mainly concerns the USA, where even today phones are locked to the operator with which you have signed a contract (mostly for two years).
People with a valid contract find it difficult to switch to another one, and after it expires they may not even want to change - it's annoying. One has to "fly around" the existing operator and then the new operator. The whole process involves too much worry for too little music.
A more welcoming scenario is when your phone number and services, be it internet, calls or messages, are tied to an Apple SIM. Operators have the option to fight for you directly. They can offer you a better deal that is just a few taps away.
Now the question just arises - is this the end of tariffs and flat rates as we know them now? And if Apple SIM were to take over, isn't it just a step towards getting rid of that tiny little chip for good? I can think of only one sentence about this - it was about time.
From my point of view, the whole concept of SIM cards is now obsolete. Yes, long-standing standards are difficult to dismantle, especially when operators are comfortable with their current situation. If anyone has the power to do something about the current situation, it's Apple. There is a hunger for iPhones, and for carriers, selling them is a profitable business.
Apple can thus put pressure on operators and change the rules of the game. But then concerns may arise from the opposite side - could there then be a situation where the iPhone (and iPad) does not have a SIM card slot and Apple determines which operator you can choose a tariff from?
And how would it be in such a case with personal favoritism. Today, you can arrange your tariff at your operator's store with a little skill. This would not work very well on an iPhone display. Either way, Apple SIM is something new again. We'll see how he does next in the coming months and years.
And if I buy an iPad Air 2 with LTE in the Czech Republic, is there a SIM card slot?
read :)
No, unfortunately, iPads with a SIM slot are no longer allowed to be sold in CR. There is also a threat of banning the sale of all iPads in CR, so buy it now or get an android :)))
why shouldn't it be sold? see Apple Store CZ
"Pad Air 2 with Wi‑Fi + Cellular and iPad mini 3 with Wi‑Fi + Cellular can use either an Apple SIM card or a carrier nano‑SIM card."
EE is one operator and that's T-mobile and Orange together ;) so it's one operator. Just for info :)
Thanks for the addition, it is already fixed in the article.
At the beginning of the 90s, it was quite common that NMT mobile phones did not have a SIM, at least they were not stolen as much as they are now.