Has Apple solved the SIM Card conundrum?

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

One of the announcements that sort of slipped by during this week's Apple iPad Air 2 event was the inclusion of the Apple SIM in the new iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 models. Basically a multi-carrier SIM that simplifies the process of choosing a carrier. Because Apple's iPhones and iPads now have the most global LTE bands, they can employ a 'generic' or non-carrier specific SIM Card.

This means when users fire-up their device for the first time, they have the option of choosing a carrier on the fly. Apple SIM allows getting this set up through WiFi and even through exisiting LTE bands (by hopping on just for the purpose of initiating the selection).

"The Apple SIM gives you the flexibility to choose from a variety of short-term plans from select carriers in the U.S. and UK right on your iPad," Apple's product page states. For tablets like the iPad Air and iPad mini, Apple SIM is an ideal and flexible solution for getting access to data.

While Apple SIM is convenient for setting your home carrier on your device, it is potentially game changing for travel to other countries.

“So whenever you need it, you can choose the plan that works best for you—with no long-term commitments. And when you travel, you may also be able to choose a data plan from a local carrier for the duration of your trip,” Apple said on its website.

For users in the US, where Apple SIM will be made available, they can easily choose and manage service providers. This could potentially solve the biggest issue of devices being locked to networks or specific SIM cards, which makes it difficult to use your device overseas or in another location that is better served by another carrier. Great for end users, Apple SIM loosens carrier control over the devices and, naturally, will likely receive some resistance from Apple's carrier partners.

We're waiting to hear back from users once the new iPad Air and iPad mini 3 start shipping in the US and UK as these models will include the Apple SIM.