There has been confusion regarding the implementation of the new Apple SIM, which will be released along with the upcoming iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3. The questions may have prompted John Legere, CEO of T-Mobile, to share his thoughts regarding the new Apple SIM on his Twitter account.
Apple's new SIM cards are designed to allow users to quickly switch between different carriers through a few taps on their Apple tablet, without having to physically switch out SIM cards as was required before.
The convenience that the Apple SIM will provide will allow users more freedom in choosing which carriers they will be using in certain situations. The new feature could also be further developed to allow users to switch to short-term data plans from local carriers when visiting foreign countries.
However, reports revealed that AT&T will be locking the Apple SIM cards to only work with AT&T if the iPad is purchased with an AT&T contract.
T-Mobile, on the other hand, said that the iPads purchased with a T-Mobile contract will have their Apple SIMs pre-set for T-Mobile, but the carrier switching feature can be activated.
Legere's series of tweets looked to state the facts regarding the Apple SIM and how the carriers are dealing with the new feature that will be introduced with the new iPads.
According to Legere, the Apple SIM gives customers the flexibility in choosing the carrier that they want for the iPads, allowing them to change their mind on which carriers to use. If a customer purchases one of the new iPads from an official Apple Store, it comes with the new Apple SIM that, interestingly, Verizon Wireless decided not to be a partner of.
Legere confirmed that if users selected to have AT&T as their carrier, the Apple SIM will be locked and users will not be allowed to choose and switch to another carrier. If a user will select a carrier aside from AT&T, AT&T will be subsequently removed from the choices of carriers presented to users when deciding to switch.
Legere added that both T-Mobile and Sprint have fully embraced the concept of the Apple SIM in providing users with all the choices possible.
However, Legere said that the new iPads are different when they are purchased from the stores of the carriers. New iPads purchased from Verizon and Sprint will have their own SIM card, while devices purchased from AT&T and T-Mobile will come with Apple SIMs that are pre-configured to the user's chosen carrier.
If a user wishes to switch carriers on an iPad that was bought from a carrier store, the user will have to physically switch out the SIM cards as non-configured Apple SIMs are not available to carriers or from retailers.
Legere says that Apple's decision to only allow iPads bought in Apple Stores to gain the full functionality of the Apple SIM "expands and enhances their position in the mobile ecosystem."
Legere also adds that Sprint makes switching from another carrier to Sprint a bit more complicated because Sprint requires that the unique IMEI of devices should be within their network registry to be activated. That means users should take the extra step of listing their iPad's IMEI in Sprint's registry to switch to the carrier.
