Rumor: Apple, Gemalto working on integrated SIM

Hmmmm... Can anyone else here see or post comments on the "Hack to defeat Middle East FaceTime block" article?

I doubt it is an app to be downloaded. Probably a process in iTunes that picks the carrier and then activates the device on the network, completes the network contract, allocates the carrier subsity and programs the SIM.

Just because the device can be directed to one carrier or another does not lock the carriers out of the retail process. They could still help the customer with on-site activation just as they do now. They'd probably just need a device to run the activation, which could be any PC/Mac - or maybe just another iOS device.

The point is that there could be a CDMA/GSM device that can ship across Apple's worldwide distribution network that would be able to work with all carriers out of the box. That would be pretty incredible.

The customer might pay the full retail price at the register and then upon activation get a $400-500 refund when completing a 2 yr contract. That would simplify the process - and would destroy the gray market for the devices. Devices could be sold unlocked worldwide. And potentially more than one carrier profile could be stored on the device so that when you travel to another country you might so a virtual SIM swap.

This could apply to iPhones and a network agnostic iPad. It's pretty phenomenal if they can accomplish it.

But what will AT&T do to stall you when you call about their non-existent service and constant dropped calls if they can't tell you need to switch out the SIM card?

Without activation how could you download an app, or even be able to display one if downloaded from a computer and synced to the phone?

Interesting thought regarding this, especially with the associated photo for this article. Does that mean the SIM card slot will be non-existent? And if so, what about the US? I can't see Apple producing two different types of the iPhone for the rest of the world and the US, so that means you'd either have an empty SIM slot on EU iPhones, or you'd have no SIM slot altogether. And that second option is might intriguing.

Getting rid of the SIM slot could mean two things: First, CDMA phones don't have a SIM card, hence no need for a SIM slot. Second, would phones be essentially hardware-locked to a carrier (i.e. AT&T?) via a built-in SIM card?