[maximumoverload]

I admit, as an European, I see no point to this.

If you want a new SIM card, and you don't have a contract, just buy a new SIM card and put it in your phone / tablet.

If you have a long-term contract, this won't help you anyway.

Where is the catch? (Sorry if I am sounding stupid)

[Ricapar]

Think about the user experience.

If switching, a user no longer has to wait on delivery of a small physical item from the new carrier. The user doesn't have to fiddle with a paperclip to pop out the SIM. (Average user could be scared to do so, or could scratch/bend the rather fragile SIM tray). It could all theoretically be done from a settings menu.

[korzun]

Walk in any providers store and they will do it for you, free of charge. Takes 2 minutes.

People who understand what a SIM like this does, will definitely understand how to replace SIM's. In my opinion anyways.

[kalleboo]

> If switching, a user no longer has to wait on delivery of a small physical item from the new carrier

Where I'm from, SIM cards can be got in a huge dollar bin at the electronics store, or a vending machine at the airport.

> The user doesn't have to fiddle with a paperclip to pop out the SIM

That's just Apple. They're solving a problem they invented themselves.

[scholia]

It also avoids the problem I have at the moment: three smartphones that take different sized SIMs ;-)

[KJasper]

In the Netherlands you can even buy simcards in supermarkets, almost every supermarket is a virtual provider itself. If you go to a telecomshop they'll install it for you. Your describing something that's completely foreign to everyone over here.

[joenathan]

That sort of user would be afraid of the settings menu.

[jacalata]

> If you want a new SIM card, and you don't have a contract, just buy a new SIM card and put it in your phone / tablet.

My parents couldn't change a SIM card to save their lives - they couldn't open the phone to get the card out, they'd have trouble holding the micro SIM card if they did get it open, and they'd probably put it in backwards and just scratch the hell out of the contacts if they made it that far. Why should they have to? Oh, sure, they can go to a store. That works if switching networks is something you only want to do very occasionally with plenty of time to plan, but if you can make it easier why not? It's all software, why are we authenticating it by a tiny fiddly piece of plastic? I mean, I do this often enough myself that I carry a little Nokia pin for the tiny hole that triggers the SIM card slot to open on my Nexus, but why should I have to?

[maximumoverload]

That's totally weird to me.

I don't want to say it from a position of superiority or anything, just different mobile culture, but in here, changing SIM cards is normal. It's what you do when you buy a new phone, because - as I said below - you get a SIM card separately, even when you buy it right with the operator with the contract.

But I guess it's a different culture

[Nullabillity]

Same reason that you still keep credit cards around; security. When money becomes involved you don't want the device doing the authorization to have any way to be influenced by the one requesting it.

[koliber]

Apple doing this does solve the issue for some people. However, as the parent poster mentioned, it is not as revolutionary as some make it out to be.

They are not solving a problem that has been unsolved before. Instead, they are providing a more streamlined and hassle-free solution.

[danilocampos]

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]

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.

[koyote]

It seems like a step back to me.

Want to change operator but the cheapest operator does not have a deal with Apple? Well you're out of luck!

[Someone]

No, you just do what you had to do before: get a SIM-card from your operator, and put it in your iPhone.

[veemjeem]

Definitely useful for those who travel. Put in 3 sims, one for HK, Thailand, and USA.

[maximumoverload]

True. Well, I have a dual-sim phone, so I keep one as mine, and the other one of the country where I am. So it's even simpler :) But I get what you are saying.

[cortesoft]

That means you either have to physically go to a store or wait for one to be delivered. This way, I could change carriers at 2am on a whim, without having to wait for stores to open or a package to be delivered.