Why does Apple care so much about SIM cards anyway?

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[Commentary] Why does Apple care about SIM card design at all? Its interest in smaller SIM cards is certainly related to design and usability — a SIM card that’s 60 percent smaller than the current micro-SIM can mean a smaller, slimmer smartphone. And in a power-hungry device like an iPad, the space leftover from a smaller SIM could go to larger batteries or other components. But there’s more in it for Apple.

If it’s able to control the SIM card in phones, it holds more sway over the subscriber. My colleague Stacey Higginbotham has covered this extensively, and was first with evidence that Apple is aiming to cut out the carriers eventually with even tinier embeddable SIM cards made by Gemalto. If they succeed in embedding these cards, iPhone or iPad buyers could buy the device direct from Apple and simultaneously choose the carrier they want to use, and Apple could activate service right at the point of purchase. It also means easier roaming on other networks. Yes, carriers would have to allow Apple devices to operate on their networks, so Apple has to have support from some of them to pull this off. And that doesn’t seem to be happening in the immediate future.


Why does Apple care so much about SIM cards anyway?