[josteink]

How is this better than simply having... A SIM-card in your phone or tablet?

A SIM-card is something you can swap and replace in less than 30 seconds, and 100% decouples your device from your cellular provider. The way things should be. It's hardware so it's portable. It's standardized so it's interoperable and works with all equipment, from all vendors.

Why does Apple need to re-invent this?

Why would I want to replace something 1. which works, 2. is industry standard and 3. has proven itself for more than two decades... With something which is 1. not industry-standard but Apple-only and 2. not proven?

What on earth would compel anyone to make such a stupid trade-off? How stupid would you have to be to think this is a good thing?

[hjnilsson]

How is having a sim card better than simply having... free access to any carrier?

A SIM-card is something you need to wait to arrive in snail mail. When going abroad you need to order one ahead of time to get a good price. Switching requires weeks of waiting for new cards to arrive, or going to a store. If you lose your device you need to wait for a replacement.

Why would anyone want to use such an antediluvian method?

Why would I want to use something which 1. needs me to remember/write down weird codes 2. doesn't work internationally without exorbitant fees and workarounds 3. is as old as VGA connectors.

What on earth would compel anyone to make such a stupid trade-off? How stupid would you have to be to think this is a good thing?

PS. Just making a point here, it's not all bad like you're making it out to be, and the dismissive tone muddles the problem. It surprises me that the resistance to new technical solutions to problems is so endorsed here on Hacker News of all places.

[realusername]

> A SIM-card is something you need to wait to arrive in snail mail. When going abroad you need to order one ahead of time to get a good price. Switching requires weeks of waiting for new cards to arrive, or going to a store. If you lose your device you need to wait for a replacement.

What do you mean? You just pay a small amount of money at any store/cigarette shop and you get a SIM card in 10 seconds.

[mrweasel]

Depending on where you are in the world, you need to be able to go online to activate the SIM cards you buy at the supermarket/corner-store.

Here in Denmark you can't buy an anonymous SIM card anymore, at least I haven't found any in years. They all require you to register on their website with name, address, CPR (Danish SSN).

[realusername]

I doubt Apple SIM will solve that issue, they will likely comply with the local legislation and ask you to register as well.

[jamaicahest]

Obviously Apple would have to comply with local legislations, just like any other company has to comply with local legislations. So no, Apple SIM would not provide anonymous mobile access.

[rusk]

The SIM card solves the key distribution problem.

Operators can store, activate, distribute, cancel at will. Each one has a unique signature that is factored in to all cryptographic exchanges with the network.

It's not tied to the phone. If you get a phone you get a new SIM. If your phone gets stolen you can zap the SIM card and the phone still works. If you buy a phone you can transfer your identity to it through a short, simple, reassuring tactile procedure.

Want to go to another network? get a new SIM.. operator can't hold you unless they actually bought the phone for you and you still owe them money for it ...

[gpderetta]

Because it works. Worse is better.

[tajen]

When you get off the plane in a new country, not having an immediate SIM card at the airport often means the exchange rate will be 10% above, the SIMs sold at the airport will be $10 above their normal price, and the taxi will cheat you by $10 more. Just the feeling of not being cheated is worth a fee. Plus you can check the route that the taxi driver uses, even you can share your location if a fake taxi tries to kidnap you (ever traveled in Mexico?).

[singularity2001]

it might be helpful if you go abroad and your roaming options suck. otherwise agree. in new iPad it's not builtin, that's good.