Apple to offer universal, SIM-less iPhone in Europe?

By on Oct 27, 2010 at 7:01 PM
Rumor October 27, 2010

If we know one thing about Apple it is this: they like control… and this latest rumor seems to reaffirm that creed. Blog GigaOM is reporting that Apple is planning to release an iPhone with an integrated SIM that can be used on any wireless carrier — partnered with Apple — in the EU. A universal iPhone if you will. As the report explains:

Sources inside European carriers have reported that Apple has been working with SIM-card manufacturer Gemalto to create a special SIM card that would allow consumers in Europe to buy a phone via the web or at the Apple Store and get the phones working using Apple’s App Store.

This special SIM would have an upgradeable flash component as well as a ROM component. The article goes on to explain:

The ROM area contains data provided by Gemalto with everything related to IT and network security, except for the carrier-related information. The flash component will receive the carrier related data via a local connection which could be the PC or a dedicated device, so it can be activated on the network. Gemalto will provide the back-end infrastructure that allows service and number provisioning on the carrier network.

This would be yet another way that Apple can control the end-user experience — and potentially the distribution — of its popular smartphone device. For us, one of the benefits of using a SIM-based device is having the luxury of popping the little plastic card into virtually any compatible, GSM device you choose. What do you think?

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  • fidel castro

    One phone to lure them
    One phone to watch them
    One phone to dominate them
    One phone to rule then all

    Welcome to the one world order, the end of days is near

    Revelations

    • Goofan (aka Apple Hater)

      Buy that’s why our lord Eric Schmidt and google are here. They will protect us and our information. Just watch.

  • fidel castro

    Three Rings for the Symbian -kings under the sky,
    Seven for the Windows-lords in their halls of stone,
    Nine for Androids doomed to die,
    One for the Jobs Lord on his Apple throne
    In the Land of Europe where the Shadows lie.
    One Phone to rule them all, One Phone to find them,
    One Phone to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
    In the Land of Europe where the Shadows lie.

    • Spdr-Mn

      Dude, where do you come up with that?…

  • fidel castro

    Long ago before the age of 3g, a being so powerful sought to unite earth and shape it into his own universal image.

    He went to the far east and with the aid of the locals forged the one phone from the hellfire pit of foxconn.

    But soon as the locals realized the incantation of the phone, written in the dark apple language was, they were ashamed and committed suicide for they helped to lead Gods flock away towards the grasp of the Jobs lord.

    Its now 3yrs later and the Jobs is one step closer to sealing the fate of humanity…

  • vinay

    This is like shooting in their own foot. With android gaining market share each day and WP7 etc not many would buy iPhone except fanboys.

    Apply for the first time was successfully able to penetrate ‘deep’ into consumer market and not only their fanboys. If they think it has so many loyal consumers who wont leave them what ever they do, good luck!!

  • http://phonecan.com epik

    It’s funny to me that GSM fans have been using the SIM card argument for about seven or eight years, and few of them seem to be up in arms about the prospect of a GSM phone with a wired-in SIM, let alone one controlled by the manufacturer of the phone.

  • Mike Allen

    While the European mobile phone network operators with their rip-off tariff systems resulting from near binopoly market positions are among the most disliked enterprises in Europe, they are streets behind dictator Jobs on the hate scale.

    This power grab will be stopped by every intelligent European boycotting the product. Aside from the fact that it is unlikely to comply with the GSM standards which imply the use of an interchangeable SIM card, and its implied control/restriction over customers who wish to move from network x to network y – which has competition law implications.

  • belus

    Just a thought..
    im pretty sure everyone has a backup phone in his or her drawer, car, or anywhere. lets pretend you have the new iphone and you have 10% of the battery left for the whole trip ahead of you. you run out of battery. so do your rest of your friends. they just pop out their sim and try to use it in someones phone or their backup phone to make a call. what are you doing. you are not poping out anything..

  • european

    who’s going to buy it? we are all attached to our SIM cards…. my phone can hold 3 SIM’s so I can use different carrier for different function….. lame!

  • Anthony

    I own wireless dealerships amd get broken into many time s every year due to sim base d handsets, this is bad news for dealers such as myself…..

  • Johanna

    Ok so, what about those who don’t have a SIM card? Verizon customers have Droid…. ok…. but what about sharing the apple wealth to the Verizon Network? When the hell is that going to happen. I think its unfair that AT&T has the corner market on iPhone. It is quite possibly the only thing keeping them afloat. So I say lets give universal opportunity to all services. Its only fair…. but i do understand that a trully fair world, cannot exhist. :(

  • http://www.hghreviews.org/ Bruno

    Screw carrier control!

    SIM cards should be done away with.

    Instead connecting to a wireless carrier should be like a Wi-Fi hotspot.

    You scan for available networks and send your credentials to verify your account on the carrier you choose to connect to.

    Couple this with data only service and VoIP and us consumers suddenly have all the power!

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