New Rumor: Apple iPhone to be available for prepaid users

[wot_fan]

This will make things very interesting if true (http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2007/05/22/apple-iphone-to-be-available-for-prepaid-users/) :)

[Spin This!]

And thus come the "unlocked" phones onto eBay...

Should be an interesting option if this presents itself.

[ebrunn]

This is pretty big if its true.

[jimjoe45]

does this mean I could purchase an "activated" I-phone off Ebay. Plug in my SIM card and go?

[wjp09]

Thats what I mentioned WAY earlier in another thread. It was speculation though stating that if it works with cingular you could just pop in the prepaid card. All prepaid cards *sim* work interchangebly with that phone companies sim card.

[ColsTiger]

Thats what I mentioned WAY earlier in another thread. It was speculation though stating that if it works with cingular you could just pop in the prepaid card. All prepaid cards *sim* work interchangebly with that phone companies sim card.

There's no difference between prepaid SIM cards and postpaid SIM cards. The only difference is the account that must be renewed or all rollover minutes are erased. Once the SIM is activated on a pre-paid account, it will only work as a pre-paid account. You can take out the SIM and put it in another phone and it still works as a pre-paid plan.

[MadDog31]

This is all very interesting. I do have a minor side question about SIM cards I for some reason haven't been able to find an answer to regarding Cingular. If I say, kept my current piece of doody temporary freebie phone I got when switching to Cingular this past January, and after I get the iPhone, can I theoretically swap SIM cards from the iPhone to the regular doody phone if I'm going to the beach (flying sand sucks), etc. and swap it back no problem?

I'm prepared to hear "HELL NO YOU CAN'T" but if you can...can someone pleasantly surprise me?

Ian

[ColsTiger]

If the iPhone uses the same SIM card as all other GSM phones (and we don't know that for sure yet), then you should be able to swap it into any other GSM phone and use your Cingular/AT&T account (if the phone is not subsidy locked to another carrier).

[wjp09]

This is all very interesting. I do have a minor side question about SIM cards I for some reason haven't been able to find an answer to regarding Cingular. If I say, kept my current piece of doody temporary freebie phone I got when switching to Cingular this past January, and after I get the iPhone, can I theoretically swap SIM cards from the iPhone to the regular doody phone if I'm going to the beach (flying sand sucks), etc. and swap it back no problem?

I'm prepared to hear "HELL NO YOU CAN'T" but if you can...can someone pleasantly surprise me?

Ian

HELL YES YOU COULD. And i intend to. Sand+Screen=NO BIEN

[MadDog31]

HELL YES YOU COULD. And i intend to. Sand+Screen=NO BIEN

I love these prospects. Thank you sir for correcting me. :)

Muchas gracias.

[wot_fan]

If the iPhone uses the same SIM card as all other GSM phones (and we don't know that for sure yet), then you should be able to swap it into any other GSM phone and use your Cingular/AT&T account (if the phone is not subsidy locked to another carrier).What do you mean? Steve Jobs talked about the SIM tray during the keynote. What makes you think that it won't use a standard SIM?

[wjp09]

Yeah Afaik it will come with standard sim. Which means for all of us with cingular already we will have an extra simcard.

[ColsTiger]

Yeah Afaik it will come with standard sim. Which means for all of us with cingular already we will have an extra simcard.

I'm hoping it uses a standard GSM SIM card as well, but we won't know for sure until we get our grubby hands on one. Someone mentioned in a thread months ago, that it might be a different sized SIM card. I'm hoping they were wrong.

[wot_fan]

I'm hoping it uses a standard GSM SIM card as well, but we won't know for sure until we get our grubby hands on one. Someone mentioned in a thread months ago, that it might be a different sized SIM card. I'm hoping they were wrong.I would be very surprised if Apple made a custom sized SIM. That is more Sony's style :tounge:. IMHO, the ability to move a SIM from one phone to another is one of the biggest pluses that GSM has over its competitors.

[ColsTiger]

Yeah Afaik it will come with standard sim. Which means for all of us with cingular already we will have an extra simcard.

Yeah, but only one SIM can be activated on one account at the time. If you did want to use a spare SIM, then you would have to activate it either at the Cingular/At&t store or online.