7 ms·

AT&T Locks Apple SIM on Activation

108 points by calvin_c 12y ago

craigching 12y ago
... but you can buy a new SIM to switch carriers if you need to: > If your Apple SIM becomes dedicated to a specific network and you want to choose from other carrier programs, you can purchase a new Apple SIM from an Apple Retail store. Better than having to buy a new iPad.
- kevinchau 12y ago
  iPads from the Apple Store are never carrier locked.
  - Bud 12y ago
    Yes. This just highlights the fact that you NEVER, ever want to buy an iOS device from a carrier's store. Always buy directly from Apple. Not just because of this SIM lock issue, but also because Apple's return policy and the way they handle problems very early in the life of a device is very different if you bought it somewhere else versus having bought it from Apple directly.
    - craigching 12y ago
      Wait, so explain it to me. When I bought my last iPad, I could have sworn I had to choose an AT&T model or a Verizon model. Or is this a new feature on the iPad Air 2? EDIT: From the link: > right from your iPad Air 2 or iPad mini 3 So this is new for iPad Air 2 then it appears.
      - tzs 12y ago
        Right. Older cellular iPads supported either GSM or CDMA, so you had to choose at purchase in the US whether it was for AT&T (GSM) or Verizon (CDMA). Newer cellular iPads include both GSM and CDMA.
        cloudwalking 12y ago
        The best part about this: iPad boxes never said which carrier it was locked to. You had to look it up via serial number. Non-Apple sales people didn't seem to understand this and happily sold me an AT&T iPad when I asked for a Verizon iPad.
        snsr 12y ago
        They actually do, at least for the past couple of years. My past two iPad purchases have been clearly marked "AT&T" right on the label.
        craigching 12y ago
        Yep, same here. I have a first gen iPad, a first gen retina display iPad, and a couple of iPad Air now and only the first gen didn't have the carrier on the box, but that's because the first gen was ATT only.
        cloudwalking 12y ago
        I bought my mom a Verizon iPad a couple of years ago. Unfortunately I was actually sold an AT&T iPad. There was no indication either way on the box.
    - PhantomGremlin 12y ago
      > the way they handle problems very early in the life of a device is very different if you bought it somewhere else versus having bought it from Apple directly My recent experience directly contradicts that. I bought my daughter an iPhone 6 from Verizon (because of the $200 trade in offer). My daughter's screen cracked within a month. The Apple store gave her a new phone, no charge. Couldn't have been easier. The only thing the store needed to do was to remove the SIM from her old phone and pop it into her new one. But I agree with your general assertion. Absent a strong financial incentive (in this case a much better trade in value) or other extenuating circumstance, I would always buy directly from Apple. Edit: just wanted to add, I think that Apple is "being good" in this, the very early phase of iPhone 6. My daughter claims she didn't drop her phone (ha ha) and the crack was very similar to pictures I've seen of "bendgate" where the break occured near the weak points of the phone. So Apple doesn't want more negative publicity about this. If it were six months from now, Apple might be much less accommodating.
  - colinbartlett 12y ago
    Seemed to me like the benefit of these SIM cards was that would could change providers at will without hunting down a new SIM. But it seems like you can only choose once.
danmanstx 12y ago
what's the cost of a new apple SIM?
- moogleii 12y ago
  $5. Not much but not insignificant. I'd rather AT&T just not lock it. Edit: I thought I had read $5, but now I can't find that source, so who knows.
  - JTon 12y ago
    Another commenter in this thread is also saying $5. So it appears your memory is serving you :) ... unless of course you read it from this thread, ha
- Avenger42 12y ago
  According to Ars Technica, it's free: > An Apple customer service representative told Ars that Apple SIMs are available for free at Apple retail stores. http://arstechnica.com/apple/2014/10/att-locks-multi-carrier-ipad-sim-t-mobile-and-sprint-leave-it-open/ http://arstechnica.com/apple/2014/10/att-locks-multi-carrier...
Someone1234 12y ago
Doesn't this completely negate the point of "Apple SIM?" I thought the whole purpose was to allow people to switch carriers simply and quickly. They even sold it as something which would allow you to switch into different inexpensive plans as and when you needed it. That was their damn sales pitch. If you need to buy tons of $5 SIMs, and walk around with them to switch, then the entire thing has absolutely no benefit and you should just get a result SIM which might be free anyway.
- calvin_c 12y ago
  I imagine this was just too hard of a sell to AT&T. As long as you never try out an AT&T plan it still works as advertised, but that's a huge downside if it takes away one of the largest carriers supported as a real option.
- chrisBob 12y ago
  There are two points to this SIM, and dedicating it to a carrier only negates one. This SIM still removes the requirement to either purchase a carrier specific SIM before first using the device, or have Apple stock devices with the various manufacturer's SIMs preinstalled. Making a customer poke their new device with a paperclip and load a SIM is not very Applelike.
  - Aloha 12y ago
    It specifically makes it easier on apple, I never had any delusion that this was for the benefit of customers.
- JetSpiegel 12y ago
  It would negate a few weeks ago. Now that all the 'Ballsy Apple shafting the carriers' articles are already published, that point is moot.
- Steko 12y ago
  Apple has a long roadmap to turn the carriers into dumb pipes. The original iPad deal was the first step. This is the second. Just because ATT locks the sim today doesn't mean Apple hasn't negotiated an end date to that. Just because Verizon has their own SKU today doesn't mean Apple won't slowly put the screws to them to bring them on board a universal model.
0x0 12y ago
"dedicates the Apple SIM", what a way to avoid writing "locks".
- chrisBob 12y ago
  Lock would be confusing because consumers associate that with being carrier locked. It is still an unlocked device, and the word choice helps make that clear.
kalleboo 12y ago
Yeah... I think I'll stick to unlocked phones and swap out regular, 3GPP-mandated standard SIM cards. I'll know exactly what I get, which isn't regulated by some shady operator+manufacturer deals.
billyhoffman 12y ago
While there are certainly user benefits (like easier switching between providers) that's not the primary point of the Apple SIM. Think about SKUs and inventory. On launch day this month, Apple had 2 phones, with 3 different storage sizes, available in 3 different colors. Apple SIM is about not have to have another multiple on top of all those combination about which network the phone works on (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, etc). Apple SIM lets them go from 42+ SKUS, to 12. User choice is nice and Apple certainly cares about the user experience. But Tim Cook made his bones at Apple as master of supply and distribution chains. Apple SIM helps them, even if the carriers all balk on allowing users to switch providers via software.
- tiziano88 12y ago
  I'm not sure I follow. Can they not have 12 SKUs and then allow people to put "normal" SIMs in them?
  - comex 12y ago
    You're allowed to put a normal SIM in them. But in the name of user experience, you shouldn't be required to fiddle with little pieces of plastic to get online.
- kalleboo 12y ago
  Why is it so hard for Americans to learn what a SIM card is? "The SIM card is your phone number". My 85 year aunt knows what one is and how to swap it out. Why do they have to be preinstalled? So Apple can shave a mm off the thickness of the device?
  - pivo 12y ago
    Maybe because most people here never ever change their SIM card. You buy a phone and you're basically locked into your carrier until your contract expires, then you buy a new phone because it's the only way to justify the ridiculous monthly fees. If you venture overseas you often just put up with the stupid-high rates your carrier will charge you because it's too much of a pain or too complicated to call your carrier and get your phone unlocked. I don't think saving mm's off the thickness is a factor at all because the SIM is still replaceable. I think Apple thought it was a better user experience to be able to choose their carrier this way. And of course now they don't have to stock iPads with carrier-specific SIMs. Yes, they could sell SIM-less iPads, but that would make for a poor buying experience, at least for us SIM-shy 'merkins.
higherpurpose 12y ago
US carriers are so silly. People can easily use unlocked phones in Europe and - this might shock them - the sky hasn't fallen! The usual duopolies are still the same duopolies as they were a decade ago. You're buying a phone - you should be a allowed to put a different SIM in it and "cheat" on your network. It's not like you won't be paying them if you're in the contract anyway. If the contract ends - then you're free to leave them anyway. So why are they making such a big deal about SIM-locking?
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
- kalleboo 12y ago
  > the sky hasn't fallen! The usual duopolies are still the same duopolies as they were a decade ago Prices have definitely dropped though. Mobile telephony in Europe is usually cheaper than in the US.
  - jacquesm 12y ago
    Except when you leave your home country.
- cloudwalking 12y ago
  Americans are not against this. The phone companies who hold oligopolies are against this.
- vvhn 12y ago
  You can put a different SIM in it. The device (in this case the iPad) itself isn't locked to a carrier. The Apple SIM was only an additional convenience in that you didn't even have to put in a new SIM in it (i.e. the same SIM could be used on multiple carriers) to change carriers. However, that's currently effectively limited to 3 carriers now (2 US and 1 UK) with AT&T effectively making it non - reprogrammable SIM if activated on AT&T).
- beagle3 12y ago
  > US carriers are so silly. People can easily use unlocked phones in Europe and - this might shock them - the sky hasn't fallen! People in Europe are paying $20/month for plans that are better than what americans are paying $70/month. It is not the US carriers that are silly. It is the US customers.
nsxwolf 12y ago
Question: Why are they able to? Is the ability to lock some FCC regulation, or did Apple leave this ability in because AT&T demanded it?
thorntonbf 12y ago
Why we as American consumers continue to tolerate behavior like this out of our carriers is beyond me...
mbertrand 12y ago
Why? Why does apple allow them to do this?

108 points by calvin_c 12y ago

... but you can buy a new SIM to switch carriers if you need to: > If your Apple SIM becomes dedicated to a specific network and you want to choose from other carrier programs, you can purchase a new Apple SIM from an Apple Retail store. Better than having to buy a new iPad.

kevinchau 12y ago
iPads from the Apple Store are never carrier locked.
- Bud 12y ago
  Yes. This just highlights the fact that you NEVER, ever want to buy an iOS device from a carrier's store. Always buy directly from Apple. Not just because of this SIM lock issue, but also because Apple's return policy and the way they handle problems very early in the life of a device is very different if you bought it somewhere else versus having bought it from Apple directly.
  - craigching 12y ago
    Wait, so explain it to me. When I bought my last iPad, I could have sworn I had to choose an AT&T model or a Verizon model. Or is this a new feature on the iPad Air 2? EDIT: From the link: > right from your iPad Air 2 or iPad mini 3 So this is new for iPad Air 2 then it appears.
    - tzs 12y ago
      Right. Older cellular iPads supported either GSM or CDMA, so you had to choose at purchase in the US whether it was for AT&T (GSM) or Verizon (CDMA). Newer cellular iPads include both GSM and CDMA.
      - cloudwalking 12y ago
        The best part about this: iPad boxes never said which carrier it was locked to. You had to look it up via serial number. Non-Apple sales people didn't seem to understand this and happily sold me an AT&T iPad when I asked for a Verizon iPad.
        snsr 12y ago
        They actually do, at least for the past couple of years. My past two iPad purchases have been clearly marked "AT&T" right on the label.
        craigching 12y ago
        Yep, same here. I have a first gen iPad, a first gen retina display iPad, and a couple of iPad Air now and only the first gen didn't have the carrier on the box, but that's because the first gen was ATT only.
        cloudwalking 12y ago
        I bought my mom a Verizon iPad a couple of years ago. Unfortunately I was actually sold an AT&T iPad. There was no indication either way on the box.
  - PhantomGremlin 12y ago
    > the way they handle problems very early in the life of a device is very different if you bought it somewhere else versus having bought it from Apple directly My recent experience directly contradicts that. I bought my daughter an iPhone 6 from Verizon (because of the $200 trade in offer). My daughter's screen cracked within a month. The Apple store gave her a new phone, no charge. Couldn't have been easier. The only thing the store needed to do was to remove the SIM from her old phone and pop it into her new one. But I agree with your general assertion. Absent a strong financial incentive (in this case a much better trade in value) or other extenuating circumstance, I would always buy directly from Apple. Edit: just wanted to add, I think that Apple is "being good" in this, the very early phase of iPhone 6. My daughter claims she didn't drop her phone (ha ha) and the crack was very similar to pictures I've seen of "bendgate" where the break occured near the weak points of the phone. So Apple doesn't want more negative publicity about this. If it were six months from now, Apple might be much less accommodating.
- colinbartlett 12y ago
  Seemed to me like the benefit of these SIM cards was that would could change providers at will without hunting down a new SIM. But it seems like you can only choose once.

danmanstx 12y ago

what's the cost of a new apple SIM?

moogleii 12y ago
$5. Not much but not insignificant. I'd rather AT&T just not lock it. Edit: I thought I had read $5, but now I can't find that source, so who knows.
- JTon 12y ago
  Another commenter in this thread is also saying $5. So it appears your memory is serving you :) ... unless of course you read it from this thread, ha
Avenger42 12y ago
According to Ars Technica, it's free: > An Apple customer service representative told Ars that Apple SIMs are available for free at Apple retail stores. http://arstechnica.com/apple/2014/10/att-locks-multi-carrier-ipad-sim-t-mobile-and-sprint-leave-it-open/ http://arstechnica.com/apple/2014/10/att-locks-multi-carrier...

Someone1234 12y ago

Doesn't this completely negate the point of "Apple SIM?" I thought the whole purpose was to allow people to switch carriers simply and quickly. They even sold it as something which would allow you to switch into different inexpensive plans as and when you needed it. That was their damn sales pitch. If you need to buy tons of $5 SIMs, and walk around with them to switch, then the entire thing has absolutely no benefit and you should just get a result SIM which might be free anyway.

calvin_c 12y ago
I imagine this was just too hard of a sell to AT&T. As long as you never try out an AT&T plan it still works as advertised, but that's a huge downside if it takes away one of the largest carriers supported as a real option.
chrisBob 12y ago
There are two points to this SIM, and dedicating it to a carrier only negates one. This SIM still removes the requirement to either purchase a carrier specific SIM before first using the device, or have Apple stock devices with the various manufacturer's SIMs preinstalled. Making a customer poke their new device with a paperclip and load a SIM is not very Applelike.
- Aloha 12y ago
  It specifically makes it easier on apple, I never had any delusion that this was for the benefit of customers.
JetSpiegel 12y ago
It would negate a few weeks ago. Now that all the 'Ballsy Apple shafting the carriers' articles are already published, that point is moot.
Steko 12y ago
Apple has a long roadmap to turn the carriers into dumb pipes. The original iPad deal was the first step. This is the second. Just because ATT locks the sim today doesn't mean Apple hasn't negotiated an end date to that. Just because Verizon has their own SKU today doesn't mean Apple won't slowly put the screws to them to bring them on board a universal model.

0x0 12y ago

"dedicates the Apple SIM", what a way to avoid writing "locks".

chrisBob 12y ago
Lock would be confusing because consumers associate that with being carrier locked. It is still an unlocked device, and the word choice helps make that clear.

kalleboo 12y ago

Yeah... I think I'll stick to unlocked phones and swap out regular, 3GPP-mandated standard SIM cards. I'll know exactly what I get, which isn't regulated by some shady operator+manufacturer deals.

billyhoffman 12y ago

While there are certainly user benefits (like easier switching between providers) that's not the primary point of the Apple SIM. Think about SKUs and inventory. On launch day this month, Apple had 2 phones, with 3 different storage sizes, available in 3 different colors. Apple SIM is about not have to have another multiple on top of all those combination about which network the phone works on (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, etc). Apple SIM lets them go from 42+ SKUS, to 12. User choice is nice and Apple certainly cares about the user experience. But Tim Cook made his bones at Apple as master of supply and distribution chains. Apple SIM helps them, even if the carriers all balk on allowing users to switch providers via software.

tiziano88 12y ago
I'm not sure I follow. Can they not have 12 SKUs and then allow people to put "normal" SIMs in them?
- comex 12y ago
  You're allowed to put a normal SIM in them. But in the name of user experience, you shouldn't be required to fiddle with little pieces of plastic to get online.
kalleboo 12y ago
Why is it so hard for Americans to learn what a SIM card is? "The SIM card is your phone number". My 85 year aunt knows what one is and how to swap it out. Why do they have to be preinstalled? So Apple can shave a mm off the thickness of the device?
- pivo 12y ago
  Maybe because most people here never ever change their SIM card. You buy a phone and you're basically locked into your carrier until your contract expires, then you buy a new phone because it's the only way to justify the ridiculous monthly fees. If you venture overseas you often just put up with the stupid-high rates your carrier will charge you because it's too much of a pain or too complicated to call your carrier and get your phone unlocked. I don't think saving mm's off the thickness is a factor at all because the SIM is still replaceable. I think Apple thought it was a better user experience to be able to choose their carrier this way. And of course now they don't have to stock iPads with carrier-specific SIMs. Yes, they could sell SIM-less iPads, but that would make for a poor buying experience, at least for us SIM-shy 'merkins.

higherpurpose 12y ago

US carriers are so silly. People can easily use unlocked phones in Europe and - this might shock them - the sky hasn't fallen! The usual duopolies are still the same duopolies as they were a decade ago. You're buying a phone - you should be a allowed to put a different SIM in it and "cheat" on your network. It's not like you won't be paying them if you're in the contract anyway. If the contract ends - then you're free to leave them anyway. So why are they making such a big deal about SIM-locking?

deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
kalleboo 12y ago
> the sky hasn't fallen! The usual duopolies are still the same duopolies as they were a decade ago Prices have definitely dropped though. Mobile telephony in Europe is usually cheaper than in the US.
- jacquesm 12y ago
  Except when you leave your home country.
cloudwalking 12y ago
Americans are not against this. The phone companies who hold oligopolies are against this.
vvhn 12y ago
You can put a different SIM in it. The device (in this case the iPad) itself isn't locked to a carrier. The Apple SIM was only an additional convenience in that you didn't even have to put in a new SIM in it (i.e. the same SIM could be used on multiple carriers) to change carriers. However, that's currently effectively limited to 3 carriers now (2 US and 1 UK) with AT&T effectively making it non - reprogrammable SIM if activated on AT&T).
beagle3 12y ago
> US carriers are so silly. People can easily use unlocked phones in Europe and - this might shock them - the sky hasn't fallen! People in Europe are paying $20/month for plans that are better than what americans are paying $70/month. It is not the US carriers that are silly. It is the US customers.

nsxwolf 12y ago

Question: Why are they able to? Is the ability to lock some FCC regulation, or did Apple leave this ability in because AT&T demanded it?

thorntonbf 12y ago

Why we as American consumers continue to tolerate behavior like this out of our carriers is beyond me...

mbertrand 12y ago

Why? Why does apple allow them to do this?