With Apple’s new iPads that were announced last week, the company quietly also announced that it contains new tech that will allow users to switch between wireless carriers at will. The cellular version of the new iPads have an Apple SIM card instead of a pre-programmed card. This means that users will be able to switch between networks without committing to one carrier. Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile all have plans for how this will work, but AT&T’s will be a bit different. If you buy a new iPad mini 3 or iPad Air 2, if you start using AT&T’s network, you won’t be able to switch to a different carrier on the same SIM card. You can still switch, but you’ll need to buy and install a different SIM card; with Sprint and T-Mobile, you can freely switch among carriers without changing the SIM card.
It isn’t such a shock to see that a carrier is placing restrictions on the universal SIM card. Imagine if such a thing would ever be carried over to the iPhone. That would create a huge problem for carriers because that would mean most users would buy directly from Apple so as to avoid committing to one specific carrier. This would severely impact sales from carriers and would make it harder for carriers to keep customers. On the up side, it could make carriers stay competitive by offering better pricing.
