One of the things that got released as apart of Apple’s new product line was the ability to put in 2 SIM cards in one phone. The SIM card is what allows your phone number to work, and it’s specific to each phone number. So the SIM is essential. You would think that this is a leap forward, but it’s more of a case of one step forward, two steps back. Apple has always pushed the outer edge of the envelope and has taken society along with them.
A great example of this is its use of SIM technology in the Apple 3 and 4 watches. What you can do is use your watch as your phone because the SIM technology is actually (according to apple) woven into the watch. My question becomes if they can do this, why don’t they change the technology again? there are loads of reasons that you don’t (Really) need the dual SIM technology, but I’m only going to highlight a few of them.
1) Not everyone is “the jet set” – Apple at the beginning of the iPhone priced the iPhones stupidly high, this was to attract the type of people who could afford them. My theory for what Jobs was doing at the time was trying to generate want. You see cool, rich and famous people having iPhones; then you want one. I don’t believe that he intended to make it so that the phones were ridiculously expensive forever. That being said, the dual SIM is designed for those who go across the ocean often so they can use two different numbers when they are overseas. It’s a neat feature, but not that many of us can do such things. This (and the quickly escalating prices of the phones themselves) is a clear indication of Apple’s attempt to be more exclusive again.
2) The technology exists to get around this – With the internet and V.O.I.P. (or Voice Over Internet Protocol) calling, what SIM you’re using can be mostly irrelevant. Certainly with programs like Skype where you can make voice calls to other Skype users as well as traditional lines, the need to rely on SIM technology is limited. I use my iPhone with two different lines (and I have an iPhone 8) because I use Skype in my working life, and I use my regular cell phone all the other times. This works just fine, and when I use my office line I’m typically on wifi anyways, so there’s no data charge on my phone.
3) Why doesn’t apple re-invent the wheel? – Apple in its long history has been taking a problem and not just putting band-aid fixes on it, but offering a whole different solution which has revolutionised entire industries. When they came out with the iPod people were freaking out because they thought it would be the death of the music industry, but it has only gotten stronger. I’m a little surprised that Apple hasn’t figured out how to make it so that you could have two phone numbers on one SIM card. That, in my mind, is the kind of thing that Apple should be doing.
I think Apple coming out with the double SIM in their phones is neat. The problem is that’s really all it is; It’s neat. It’s not innovative; it’s not revolutionary, it’s not groundbreaking. It’s neat, and that’s all it is. The inherent problem for me is that doing something that is just neat is what everyone does. What we’ve expected from Apple is something different, something new. The result is that “good enough” is not what we’ve come to expect from Apple. I’m not sure how long they will be able to ride their reputation for reinvention and innovation without really doing either of those, but it is my supreme hope that they will be able to innovate and revolutionise once again. The other companies are catching up, and while Apple is indeed making improvements on what they have, They aren’t changing the game anymore. Companies like Google and Samsung are quickly catching up and if Apple isn’t careful, they will end up looking like they are standing still. Like I said, as a serious Apple fan, I’m hopeful that they will be able to return to their roots and rock the world once more.
Are you an Apple Fan? Which company would you prefer if not?
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