One of the things that wasn't so easily noted about the iPhone 4 announcement had to do with what sort of sim it used.

Somehow that got missed among all the fun features.

It was a bit of a surprise this week to read one tweet about it having micro sims.

Micro sims? So unless I trim down my old 3GS sim, I have to get a new micro sim if I buy an iPhone 4?

Let's hope the migration to the new sim size doesn't involve extra cost. A migration to a different sim would mean swapping your old number over to the new micro sim, or a new number. So that's either one sim useless after getting the new micro sim, or it means an extra account.

I'm waiting to see just how the telcos are going to go about this.

Grumble!

I'm not so stinky on the idea of the iPad having a micro sim. That makes perfect sense. It's an entire new category of device and having a totally new account, postpaid or prepaid, makes some sense there. It is still an additional device.

On the other hand, an iPhone 4 is an upgrade from your iPhone 3GS. So that's a bit of an imposition, making you change over to an entirely incompatible sim that you can't use (without an adapter) in your old, still-working 3GS.

That aside, I'm also noting that there are people on eBay selling iPhone 4 phones, even though it's only PRE-ORDER stage. I can guess we'll see the usual low-feedback crowd selling a device they don't even have yet, not much differently from what it was like with the iPad.

The prices I've seen so far, though, border on the ridiculous. One person is selling an iPhone 4 for $AUD 1,500. I've also read some people are charging $5,000.

Good thing I'm not in a hurry for an iPhone like I was with the iPad. And even with the iPad, it still required me being picky who I bought from.

Some suggestions for those wanting an early delivery via eBay: make sure you're buying from someone who has one of these physically with him/her. At least make sure it's one you can pick up, so you can see you're not being ripped-off. Very much try to get one from someone with a decent feedback score on eBay...although even with the iPad, it was still possible for a genuine seller with decent feedback and a store to get his whole inventory delisted over an iPad listing glitch.

If you're going to impulse-buy an iPhone 4, practice safe buying. And pray you get an honest seller.

Still, it's a nice piece of telephony/computing, isn't it?

After one glitch in the iPad purchase plans mid-week, I'm now writing
my first blog post on my iPad.

It's an interesting experience to be holding one at last and actually
trying to type on one, even more of an experience to be one of
Austalia's early adopters.  Most Austalians will not be able to touch
an iPad before late May.

However, getting an iPad on eBay is like crossing a minefield.

First you have to find the trustworthy sellers.  Then you have to
worry about whether the iPad is in Australia or still has to be sent
from America, in addition to hoping there's not also an eBay listing
violation about to knock your purchase out.

There are people charging over $AUD1,000 for 16GB iPads who have feedback
scores of 0 or 2.  Buying from these sellers will almost certainly
leave you poorer, especially if they don't have a unit physically in
Australia and you would be lucky to even get the iPad.

So you move to reputable buyers with good feedback scores.

Unfortunately, a seller with an eBay store was hit at the last minute
by being mistaken for a not-so-genuine case.  It was not just his iPad
listing knocked out, but all his listings.  His feedback score was in
the 500s.

We at least got a quick refund there.

In the end, my missus and her sharp, bargain-hunting eyes saved the
situation by finding a listing for a cheaper iPad actually already in
Melbourne, one we could pickup the day after.

There was a huge collective cheer from our family last night.

Though...the 3-year-old's wondering when he gets a turn.