9 ms·

The catch is Apple's supply chain management just got a ton simpler as they don't have to maintain separate SKUs by carrier for each iPad variant.

maximumoverload 12y ago
Hm. In here, we don't have separate packages for separate carriers. For all 3 major carriers, you just get your phone and in a separate envelope, you get your SIM card.
- dmishe 12y ago
  And that's why you get a SIM pick tool. In US you just get a phone with everything pre installed and sim tool :). So this thing does make it easier for Apple and a bit more convenient for users
  - dmishe 12y ago
    correction: pre installed and NO sim tool
- baddox 12y ago
  When I bought my iPad 2, they had separate iPad boxes for Verizon and AT&T. I haven't had a cellular tablet since then.
- sliverstorm 12y ago
  Apple is all about the "just works". "Some assembly required" is very un-Apple.
  - maximumoverload 12y ago
    Here, you got a separate SIM even with Apple phones. It's just how it's done. The only toy I remember not having a separate SIM card was Amazon Kindle (the e-ink reader), and that's because they try to hide that the SIM is even there (and it's kind of weird).
    - sliverstorm 12y ago
      Sure, there was no other choice. I'm just saying that if anybody was going to introduce a universal SIM in the USA, I would expect it to be Apple, and for exactly the reasons I described :)
- GHFigs 12y ago
  In the US, major carriers Verizon and Sprint have operated CDMA-based networks whose devices did not use SIM cards. I think it was the iPhone 4 that Apple once shipped 3 different versions of in the US: AT&T (GSM), Verizon (one set of CDMA bands), and Sprint (another set of CDMA bands).
  - emkman 12y ago
    But did you notice that Sprint is supported in this announcement? It is because LTE does in fact use a SIM, even on the carriers that rely on CDMA for voice. Fortunately for the iPad, it has no voice requirement. In reality, there is the technical means to support this on ANY carrier. You just set the IMSI or ESN in software on the microprocessor and then hit an API at the carrier telling them to pair X device with Y unique ID. The difference now is that no one before Apple has had the weight to get the carriers to go along with this, since it encourages modularity and discourages device and carrier lock in.
- fps 12y ago
  what did you do prior to the advent of 10-band GSM radios? I'm in the US and I've almost always bought cheap unlocked phones and SIM cards, but until recently I've had to hunt around to get the right variant of a phone for my preferred provider. Eg. T-Mobile uses 1700/1900/2100Mhz, AT&T uses 700/850/1700/2300. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_frequencies#United_States_Carrier_Frequency_Use http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_frequencies#United_Sta... The latest iPhones and some other phones now have radios that cover all frequencies, but those radios are expensive and typically only come on phones that cost more than $700.

maximumoverload 12y ago

Hm. In here, we don't have separate packages for separate carriers. For all 3 major carriers, you just get your phone and in a separate envelope, you get your SIM card.

dmishe 12y ago
And that's why you get a SIM pick tool. In US you just get a phone with everything pre installed and sim tool :). So this thing does make it easier for Apple and a bit more convenient for users
- dmishe 12y ago
  correction: pre installed and NO sim tool
baddox 12y ago
When I bought my iPad 2, they had separate iPad boxes for Verizon and AT&T. I haven't had a cellular tablet since then.
sliverstorm 12y ago
Apple is all about the "just works". "Some assembly required" is very un-Apple.
- maximumoverload 12y ago
  Here, you got a separate SIM even with Apple phones. It's just how it's done. The only toy I remember not having a separate SIM card was Amazon Kindle (the e-ink reader), and that's because they try to hide that the SIM is even there (and it's kind of weird).
  - sliverstorm 12y ago
    Sure, there was no other choice. I'm just saying that if anybody was going to introduce a universal SIM in the USA, I would expect it to be Apple, and for exactly the reasons I described :)
GHFigs 12y ago
In the US, major carriers Verizon and Sprint have operated CDMA-based networks whose devices did not use SIM cards. I think it was the iPhone 4 that Apple once shipped 3 different versions of in the US: AT&T (GSM), Verizon (one set of CDMA bands), and Sprint (another set of CDMA bands).
- emkman 12y ago
  But did you notice that Sprint is supported in this announcement? It is because LTE does in fact use a SIM, even on the carriers that rely on CDMA for voice. Fortunately for the iPad, it has no voice requirement. In reality, there is the technical means to support this on ANY carrier. You just set the IMSI or ESN in software on the microprocessor and then hit an API at the carrier telling them to pair X device with Y unique ID. The difference now is that no one before Apple has had the weight to get the carriers to go along with this, since it encourages modularity and discourages device and carrier lock in.
fps 12y ago
what did you do prior to the advent of 10-band GSM radios? I'm in the US and I've almost always bought cheap unlocked phones and SIM cards, but until recently I've had to hunt around to get the right variant of a phone for my preferred provider. Eg. T-Mobile uses 1700/1900/2100Mhz, AT&T uses 700/850/1700/2300. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_frequencies#United_States_Carrier_Frequency_Use http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_frequencies#United_Sta... The latest iPhones and some other phones now have radios that cover all frequencies, but those radios are expensive and typically only come on phones that cost more than $700.