Will Apple cut out the carriers in Europe?

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010 Karen Ambrose Hickey, Editor

Today, Stacey Higgibotham from GigaOM reported on a story that Apple has been working with SIM-card manufacturer Gemalto to create a special SIM card that would allow consumers in Europe to buy a phone via the web or at the Apple Store. This would reduce the role of the carrier in the iPhone purchase and ease roaming.

As the owner of an unlocked phone, but unfortunately in the U.S., I’ve been very slow to pick my next smartphone, realizing that I can choose any phone I want. So I have to choose a phone AND a carrier. I’m finding I have less choice because certain phones, are tied to certain carriers, and how can I maximize my purchase happiness by minimizing my phone bloatware? I’m getting more locked in.

TechCrunch also had an interesting take, that Apple might do what Google was afraid to do with the Nexus One. Read more here.

Tags: Apple, iPhone, roaming