AT&T Ruins Apple SIM by Locking It to Their Carrier

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
Joined
May 9, 2000
Messages
75,399
Apple’s new SIM concept technology was too good to be true if you are an AT&T customer. AT&T has made it impossible for you to change carriers using the Apple SIM once you have selected AT&T as your primary, negating the multi-carrier function of the Apple SIM. Then again, considering this information came straight from John Legere, CEO of T-Mobile, this may or may not be totally factual or unbiased. :D
 
Maybe Apple needs to reconsider their next iPhone release on the AT&T network...
 
I doubt Apple is going to turn it's back on tens of millions of dollars by excluding ATT. Now what Apple could do and maybe not is just including extra sim cards to make it easy for users to switch away from ATT.

Oh, btw .... f'k att
 
Maybe Apple need to release a universal unlock code or app for this builtin SIM. Or put another way, how the hell did Apple give AT&T the *ability* to lock something that is supposed to be perma-unlocked?

I'm sure there's more to the story, but since me no care about Apple stuff, I just can't be bothered to look further into it.
 
You can get a new Apple SIM for $5 at an Apple retail store.

Verizon doesn't participate in the multi-carrier SIMs at all, so you either have to buy a Verizon iPhone directly from them or get a Verizon SIM from them. I could be wrong, but I get the impression that this is the case for all Verizon phones.
 
Apple appears to have made a college try. That's what they were going for, the appearance of not being part of the problem.
 
If you changed carriers, wouldn't the new carrier give you a different sim anyway?
 
I think what's really going on here is Apple pushing away old technology. This sounds like the warning shot to carriers that the next iphone will have a built in programmable sim that isn't reolaceable. They are big enough to pull it off...
 
Sigh...I'd like to see industry standards used by everyone such as SIM-type cards, USB adapters (no lighting cables!), NFC payment systems that is open and widely available, etc.
Corporations really hurt the adoption of technology.
 
Who really cares?
Most iSheep have to have the latest and greatest, if they go to a new carrier they'll just buy the newest iPhone anyways.
You get a Sprint phone and its carrier locked, no way around it unless you want to flash it to Cricket.
 
SGA76 said:
Who really cares?
Most iSheep have to have the latest and greatest, if they go to a new carrier they'll just buy the newest iPhone anyways.
You get a Sprint phone and its carrier locked, no way around it unless you want to flash it to Cricket.
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You know this only affects iPads right? Because clearly you must have read the article before spouting off random Apple bashing nonsense.
 
ocellaris said:
You know this only affects iPads right? Because clearly you must have read the article before spouting off random Apple bashing nonsense.
Click to expand...

You seriously think they would stop with just iPads?
I wish I lived in the same bubble as you.
 
ocellaris said:
You know this only affects iPads right? Because clearly you must have read the article before spouting off random Apple bashing nonsense.
Click to expand...

Clearly you read the article because iPhone and iPad were never mentioned, it just said iDevice, which insinuates all Apple products.
Now the picture shown may an iPad, but I didn't want to make a glorious assumption and make an ass out of myself spreading intentional disinformation.
 
steakman1971 said:
Sigh...I'd like to see industry standards used by everyone such as SIM-type cards, USB adapters (no lighting cables!), NFC payment systems that is open and widely available, etc.
Corporations really hurt the adoption of technology.
Click to expand...

Other then being Apple, what do you have against Lightning cables?
 
Kongar said:
I think what's really going on here is Apple pushing away old technology. This sounds like the warning shot to carriers that the next iphone will have a built in programmable sim that isn't reolaceable. They are big enough to pull it off...
Click to expand...

Unlike a Mac running OS X or Windows, where there is a direct 1-to-1 relationship between Apple and the customer, with Apple cell phones it's much different. Apple becomes as reliant on the carrier as does the Apple cell-phone customer--kind of an "unholy trio" instead of a "dynamic duo"...;) The carrier is the only thing that gives the iPhone any value at all so it will likely be the carrier who calls these kinds of shots. And with > 60% of Apple revenues & profit coming from cell phones, I would not look for this to fundamentally change anytime soon.

If indeed Apple has built in a SIM that is lockable by a carrier, then all Apple has done is to *hobble* the customer's freedom to switch carriers at will since the *carrier* (not the customer) will own the iPhone SIM--that cannot be user-replaced. That would be a giant step backwards, actually, but it would also be in keeping with Apple's general approach to customers, anyway.
 
westrock2000 said:
Other then being Apple, what do you have against Lightning cables?
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It's not the standard and Apple does everything it can to be different causing unnecessary confusion. The rest of us are fine using our micro-USB ports for everything, why can't Apple?
 
NickJames said:
It's not the standard and Apple does everything it can to be different causing unnecessary confusion. The rest of us are fine using our micro-USB ports for everything, why can't Apple?
Click to expand...

I'm not fine with it. I am still waiting for the day that lightning becomes truly commonplace so we can bid the age of micro USB goodbye.
 
NickJames said:
It's not the standard and Apple does everything it can to be different causing unnecessary confusion. The rest of us are fine using our micro-USB ports for everything, why can't Apple?
Click to expand...

Well the thing is we all deep down inside wish that micro usb worked like lightning. Thats why apple users give apple a free pass on constantly reinventing things, because they are making a concerted effort to produce a better connector, it's just annoying how often they do it.
 
McFry said:
Well the thing is we all deep down inside wish that micro usb worked like lightning. Thats why apple users give apple a free pass on constantly reinventing things, because they are making a concerted effort to produce a better connector, it's just annoying how often they do it.
Click to expand...

Has it been that often? My iPod and iPhone use the same connector even though I bought them years apart. My friend's iDevices use the same connector. The move to the lightning connector was a deliberate attempt to move the technology forward, not to alienate users.

The switch away from locked devices is more important than the switch away from locked SIMs. SIMs are inexpensive and disposable. Devices are not in that same category, at least not iPhones/iPads, etc. Having a generic SIM to start with is good enough, even if it gets locked down once you make your initial carrier decision. As long as it is removable/replaceable, I can't imagine the cost of switching at a later time being that astronomical. It used to be $5 or $10 if you lost/damaged/whatevered your SIM, so at that price a replacement is no big deal.
 
SGA76 said:
Clearly you read the article because iPhone and iPad were never mentioned, it just said iDevice, which insinuates all Apple products.
Now the picture shown may an iPad, but I didn't want to make a glorious assumption and make an ass out of myself spreading intentional disinformation.
Click to expand...

Expecting you to have background knowledge is too much I assume? This sim was mentioned when they released the new iPads, and is only found in those. I find it odd how you call Apple users iSheep yet you post without even knowing anything about the topic.
 
Maybe in the next iteration of the iPhone the SIM will be Soldered in so its not removable.. They are doing it with everything else... WHY NOT?
 
Wrecked Em said:
If you changed carriers, wouldn't the new carrier give you a different sim anyway?
Click to expand...

Having to go out to buy a new SIM card - or wait for one to be shipped to you - is bullshit. It has never been acceptable, and while I am not a fan of Apple in general, they are right about this.

However, as was said previously in the thread, why can these be locked in the first place? It shouldn't be an option. And it's not like AT&T has the power to reject the iPhone. Customers will abandon AT&T for that. They would only harm their own business, not Apple.
 
MrCaffeineX said:
Has it been that often? My iPod and iPhone use the same connector even though I bought them years apart. My friend's iDevices use the same connector. The move to the lightning connector was a deliberate attempt to move the technology forward, not to alienate users.
Click to expand...
The lightning connector was introduced about 10 years after the first 30-pin, but according to the [H] experts here, the lightning connector was obviously a shady backroom deal between Apple and their partners to force users into buying new accessories made for the new connector.
 
Bone_Enterprise said:
You seriously think they would stop with just iPads?
I wish I lived in the same bubble as you.
Click to expand...

See, now right there, you could have stopped for a second and said, "Yeah, you're right, it is about the iPads, not the iPhones. My bad." but nope, you dove head first into entrenchment mode. I don't care, I'm just that guy pointing it out. :D
 
xIronCrossx said:
Expecting you to have background knowledge is too much I assume? This sim was mentioned when they released the new iPads, and is only found in those. I find it odd how you call Apple users iSheep yet you post without even knowing anything about the topic.
Click to expand...

It has nothing to do with background knowledge.
I was accused of not reading the article in a harsh and inflammatory way and I pointed out the article itself did NOT state the Apple Sim was for iPad only, that it stated iDevices, which suggests an entire range of product not just a single product.
There is a difference between Apple users and iSheep. iSheep blindly follow and endlessly fork over cash because it's Apple and they must have it. They're the kind of people that will camp outside an Apple store to buy the latest and greatest while FEMA passes out food, water and tents in their area because there's no utilities from a natural disaster.
The fervor of iSheep ranks right up there with those crazed lunatics that are willing to strap on bombs and detonate in crowds because someone said their holy book said to without bothering to think a second for themselves.
 
Sorry, I didnt mean to say "how often it happens" but rather the fragmented toolset of plugins you must have to support your devices. It's nice having 1 plug to rule them all, instead of having 2, or in some cases 3 now.
 
WaltC said:
If indeed Apple has built in a SIM that is lockable by a carrier, then all Apple has done is to *hobble* the customer's freedom to switch carriers at will since the *carrier* (not the customer) will own the iPhone SIM--that cannot be user-replaced. That would be a giant step backwards, actually, but it would also be in keeping with Apple's general approach to customers, anyway.
Click to expand...

The multi-carrier SIM in question is not built in or soldered. It can be replaced just like any other SIM, with a paper clip.

dasaint said:
Maybe in the next iteration of the iPhone the SIM will be Soldered in so its not removable.. They are doing it with everything else... WHY NOT?
Click to expand...

This issue is why not. AT&T is not playing nicely and Verizon isn't playing at all. Those are the two biggest vendors. Soldering in SIM chips would be the worst technical screw-up of the decade; no matter how much you hate Apple, you know they're not that dumb.
 
/usr/home said:
WTF was wrong with the old physical SIM cards??
Click to expand...

No need to keep swapping sims when switching carriers. Probably doesn't affect a lot of people, but if you travel a lot this would be pretty useful. Would also make swapping carriers within the US much quicker.
 
NickJames said:
It's not the standard and Apple does everything it can to be different causing unnecessary confusion. The rest of us are fine using our micro-USB ports for everything, why can't Apple?
Click to expand...

Micro USB is a worse connector, there is no sense standardizing on garbage when Apple had the opportunity to do better. The new USB 3.0 standard include reversible and more durable cables, bringing the rest of the world to where Apple was a few years ago:

[/url]http://www.cnet.com/news/meet-the-new-reversible-usb/[/url]
 
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