High end, low end
The Apple iPad is clearly a high-end product aimed at a smaller number of customers compared with the iPhone, and therefore it’s reasonable to expect any impact to be slower. There is a strong argument for the notion that the competitive potential that the soft SIM possesses won’t truly be realised until it features in a product that appeals to both ends of the market. Unsubsidised products would be one area where the ability to choose the best deal with even greater ease would come into its own, Phil Kendal, director global wireless practice at Strategy Analytics, explains: ‘You look at some of the Google Nexus products, they have £200 smartphones in the range. Being able to choose your provider on this type of device would make sense.’