Is Apple about to make it easier to switch carriers?

Is Apple about to make it easier to switch carriers?Any time someone tries to bypass the carriers, we take notice. We hate them that much. While it isn’t easy to do, Apple’s trying its darndest to eliminate the carriers from the activation process for iPhones.

Apple and Gemalto have allegedly created a SIM card that will be integrated into the iPhone, reducing the role of the carrier during the iPhone purchasing process.

It’s been tried before by Google, but they failed. Creating an easy way to buy a handset, without having to do all kinds of crazy setup in store just to get phones to work on a network, would eliminate a huge drain on resources in Apple stores.

GigaOm is reporting that it will be an embedded chip with an upgradeable flash component and ROM. The ROM will contain security information, and the flash would be carrier related data that would have to be  retrieved from the carriers directly through an update. It could theoretically be carried out in an App, or through iTunes during a typical first sync connection.

It looks like Apple’s getting a little sick of the carriers and their draconian policies. Should this rumour turn out to be true, it would make it increasingly easy to switch carriers at any point.

That’s something we would easily support.

Article Via GigaOm

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About Joshua Schnell

Man, Myth, and Legend, Joshua is the Editor-In-Chief, and founder of Macgasm. He produces two podcasts, Macgasm TV, and The AppOrchard, and can be heard on CBC Radio once every couple of years.

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charles222

Apple just needs to raise a few billion dollars and create a nation-wide wi-fi network owned just by Apple and exclusively for Iphone owners. Screw 3G. :p

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Chris P.

I always thought the setup and activation process for the original iPhone was brilliant. Until servers went down. Of course then people buying the phones and sim unlocking them became a problem.

So Apple tried this route before. They didn't want to mess with getting your phone activated in the Apple store or AT&T. Just buy and take the phone home to activate yourself.

I think the solution you describe in the post is great for iPhones sold outside the United
States that have multiple choices of GSM carriers. But I don't know if this would help if Apple had a CDMA and GSM phone here in the states. Unless the new phone had one if those dual radio chipsets from Qualcomm.

Either way I think this is good news for consumers.

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Joshua Schnell

I've been pretty lucky myself. Every time i've had to get a phone activated it's gone off without a hitch. But, like you mention, I'd certainly appreciate being able to change carriers without having the company hold my phone hostage on me.

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Trackbacks

  1. » Rumor: Apple SIM Card In The Works? - UberGizmo says:
    October 29, 2010 at 3:15 AM

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  3. Apple’s integrated SIM card may have been pulled | Macgasm says:
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