Why the MicroSIM Apple?

[Jeff Campbell]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://appadvice.com/appnn/2010/04/apple-microsims/' target='_blank'>http://appadvice.com/appnn/2010/04/...pple-microsims/</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"The iPad 3G due in a couple days, as well as the leaked iPhone HD both use MicroSIMs instead of the standard sim cards. Why's that? Is it just a matter of size? Well, apparently not."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/at/auto/1271793047.usr105634.jpg" /></p><p>More like couple of weeks for the iPad since they are scheduled now for around May 7th, but why the MicroSIMs? It appears for the extra features, or at least that is what this article says, and they include multiple applications simultaneously accessing the card, prevention of sim spoofing, new PIN protection and expansion of the phonebook storage.*</p>

[Sven Johannsen]

It's so you can't take your SIM out of your iPhone and pop it into your iPad for some liesurely browsing...why else. (Just let us tether through the freakin iPhone for pete's sake. In fact work up some intergration, pictures taken on the phone sent to the pad, and that sort of thing.)

[Dyvim]

It's so you can't take your SIM out of your iPhone and pop it into your iPad for some liesurely browsing...why else.
Except the new iPhone might have a microSIM? We'll know for sure in a couple months.

[Sven Johannsen]

Except the new iPhone might have a microSIM? We'll know for sure in a couple months.
By that time everyone will have already bought their 3G iPad ;) I'm just tethering mine through my WinMo phone, and MiFi.

[Dyvim]

By that time everyone will have already bought their 3G iPad ;)
Your point being? The iPad is unlocked and contract-free, so at any point in the future if AT&T comes out with a smartphone using microSIM (next iPhone?), then you ought to be able to pop that microSIM into the iPad and use it. Which is what you were saying you would have liked to do with your current iPhone miniSIM, right? But you suggested that Apple purposely went with a microSIM on the iPad 3G to block that. Well maybe they just went with what was going to be in the upcoming iPhone.

Anyway, Apple has never been one to be shy about dropping a hardware format even while it's still popular (floppy drives, CRTs, hard-drive in MacBook Air, etc.). They might just be making the move to microSIM.

But I'm sure AT&T will come up with some way to keep you from using your iPhone microSIM in an iPad 3G without charging extra (if it's allowed at all). After all, this is the company that still hasn't enabled iPhone tethering. If I'm wrong and the next iPhone does allow iPad 3G SIM swapping, I will probably eBay my WiFi iPad and upgrade to a 3G. If I had a MiFi, then of course a WiFi iPad would be sufficient.

[Sven Johannsen]

Your point being?OK, follow along. If I buy my 3G iPad Friday, I cannot put my current SIM in it. Sooo, I will get a microSIM from AT&T, and likely try out the data plan, which auto-renews at the end of the month. AT&T is at least banking on folks forgetting to turn it off. Then when the iPhone 4 comes out AT&T will sell me a microSIM and contract for that too. Actually though, I was just being snarky, implying it was in some way a way for AT&T to get more money. No need to overanalyze this.

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

You know, it may not be a bad thing if it saves space in the phone/device. Anything that saves space, which then can be devoted to a bigger battery is always a good thing. The transition phase is going to hurt though!