10-19-2014, 05:24 AM
Bimwad wrote:
What doesn't make sense? Have you ever purchased a cellular iPad? Prior to this, each one had a pre-installed carrier-specific SIM. Take each color, capacity, and multiply by a factor of three different models, one for each carrier. The user had to select which carrier model before purchase. They aren't sold like unlocked phones with no SIMs.
Now, there is single model for each configuration with a programmable SIM where the user has the convenience of selecting the carrier during setup, instead of procuring their own SIM from the carrier
Right, but if the hardware is now fully compatible with all carriers, then you don't need to include a SIM at all. Just sell the iPad as unlocked with a helpful link to supported carriers (by frequency, not silly integrated SIM compatibility). Most unlocked devices ship sans SIM and the consumer simply chooses one from their preferred carrier. Apple had to make different iPads for different carriers in the past, primarily to support CDMA carriers, but also for the different LTE bands in use in the world (there's a lot).
Again, unlocked devices have generally been GSM devices and it was up to the consumer to pick the devices with the correct frequencies for their carrier, not that there weren't pentaband HSPA devices on the market that made such decision even easier. Different supported frequencies could result in multiple SKUs, however, if you had a device that supported all frequencies, such as the aforementioned pentaband models, you only need a different SKU for color or capacity, or similar. Either way, a bundled SIM would not effect the SKU because an unlocked device is by definition not tied to a carrier. As such, there was never a need to bundle a SIM for an unlocked device.
Bimwad wrote: How is that less advantageous, for either Apple, or the user, unless they're a Verizon subscriber?
Or a Walmart Family Mobile customer, or H20 Wireless. There are many smaller USA GSM carriers not supported plus all of the many worldwide carriers not supported. There's a lot of carriers missing. Apple is making is harder to swap devices and not terribly easier to swap services. Unless every carrier is onboard this isn't an ideal solution for carrier swaps. For device swaps, it's even worse, unless you only plan on swapping from iPad to iPad, which is ultimately the point, isn't it?
Bimwad wrote: The users receive a marginal benefit of a smaller or thinner device. Argue that all you wish. Apple gets to eliminate the physical SIM tray assembly, and treat it as just another chip on the logic board.
My Nokia e72 had a removable battery, microSD and full size SIM. It was about the same thickness as the iPhone 4S that has none of those features. The Samsung S5 is on par with the iPhone 5/5s/5c and not much thicker than the new iPhone 6 yet has a larger SIM (micro versus nano), removable battery, and microSD. This isn't about those devices necessarily being better just a size comparison. There's marginal improvements with these devices when it comes to size of SIM and size of device, but I think your statement at trying to reduce costs (thus increasing profit margins) is probably the true reason for Apple trying to eventually eliminate the tray assembly.
Eliminating the SIM will not make me happy. Swapping SIMs is one of the benefits to GSM. I largely eschewed CDMA carriers in the USA because I didn't want to deal with contacting the carrier every time I wanted to swap my devices. I hope Verizon never gives in, because a precedent of no SIM would be worse than the choice of an optional programmable SIM. I like choices. Give me both.