Apple SIM Card

As I say, answering “why” questions about Apple policy or business decisions are pretty much impossible here since we’re all just fellow users of Apple products.

When the Apple SIM program originally launched they did not even have the SIMs available in the Apple Stores. They eventually had to start offering them in the stores since companies like AT&T locked the SIM to their network once you activated a data plan with them (just the SIM, not the device). So if later you wanted to switch data carriers you had to either get a SIM from the carrier, or get a new Apple SIM to replace the now locked Apple SIM the device shipped with. But they’ve never appeared in the Apple online stores.

There's nothing particularly special about Apple Sims. They used to be included in Apple devices to set up service when you did not select a carrier. But other than the branding they are exactly the same as your regular carrier sim card.

Apple moved away form the physical Apple Sim card, and towards the digital embedded sim instead.

There's no reason for Apple to sell them anymore. They are not required for anything, and they do nothing special.

Except a single Apple SIM let you select amongst several carriers without having to get a SIM from any specific carrier (I think in the USA there are 10-12 carriers that are part of the Apple SIM program). And as long as the partners didn’t do as AT&T did, you could switch around amongst them without ever changing SIM.

And Apple does still ship them in the embedded nano-SIM slot of iPads and does still sell replacement Apple SIM cards in the Apple Stores since devices that can run current iPadOS still use them.

Eventually eSIM prevalence will make any cooperative universal SIM program obsolete, but it’s still a handy sIM to have if you need to switch carriers around as you travel or whatnot without always having to get and swap the nano-SIM.

Michael Black wrote:

Except a single Apple SIM let you select amongst several carriers without having to get a SIM from any specific carrier (I think in the USA there are 10-12 carriers that are part of the Apple SIM program). And as long as the partners didn’t do as AT&T did, you could switch around amongst them without ever changing SIM.

And Apple does still ship them in the embedded nano-SIM slot of iPads and does still sell replacement Apple SIM cards in the Apple Stores since devices that can run current iPadOS still use them.

Eventually eSIM prevalence will make any cooperative universal SIM program obsolete, but it’s still a handy sIM to have if you need to switch carriers around as you travel or whatnot without always having to get and swap the nano-SIM.

True, but for a few years now devices have included the embedded sim instead of a physical one. The physical Apple Sim is definitely on its way out now.

Because Apple doesn’t sell them online. As to why they don’t, nobody here in the user community would have any knowledge about Apple’s business decisions.

SIM cards are normally provided by your cellular carrier. Apple isn't a cellular provider.

Agreed. I think the physical SIM card overall is on the way out.