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Apple Moves the iPhone Away From Physical SIMs (arstechnica.com)
The new iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max will use eSIM technology to allow users to use two phone lines on a single device. You could have a work or personal number, or an American and Canadian number if you travel across the border frequently. The reprogrammable SIM card is "soldered onto the iPhone's motherboard directly," and measures just 6 millimeters by 5 millimeters," reports Ars Technica, citing GSMArena.com. From the report: These handsets will have a new "dual SIM dual standby" option, one of which will be a nano SIM. In other words, they will have two distinct phone numbers. (Chinese models will have two SIM slots instead of the eSIM option.) Since their debut in 1991, traditional, physical SIM cards have decreased dramatically in size. eSIMs have already been around for nearly a year, since they were introduced into the Apple Watch and Google Pixel 2, among other devices.
Do I need a fucking laptop to do that?
Before, I could just use a paperclip. SIM cards are practically universal, so there was no issue with an unlocked iPhone. Now what am I supposed to do? No doubt this probably relies on some sort of external activation server to work- what if I can't get through to that or I don't have any internet connection?
Between this and the $2600 CAD price tag of the iPhone Excess Max, I guess my SE will be the last iPhone I ever own.
Is it serious ? Is it a disposable phone or what ?
How are you going to use SIM card when you travel into a foreign country ?
This is somthing that Apple have been trying to do for a long time : full control of the phone usage.
- No microSD to prevent people from extending their storage. They shall buy a new phone. ( checked)
- No replaceable battery to prevent people to use several ones or replace it when it dies. They shall go to a store and be advised it is better to change phone as well ( checked)
- No headset jack to prevent people from using unothorised headset. They shall buy only headset that are priced as high-end but sound not so. ( checked)
- No sim card to prevent people from changing operator on the go to reduce their cost or enhance third coverage. They will be guided to a better "high end" operator that suits their needs. ( checked)
Great plan, great actions. They must go on as people are sheeps waiting for their master.
Rgs,
TM
Apple does appear to accept that it will sell fewer iPhones but will make more per sale. Eliminating the SE does fit that bill. Apple has never really bothered with the bottom end of a market there in. If you cannot afford what we make, were fine with that, buy a cheaper Android.
The reprogrammable SIM card is "soldered onto the iPhone's motherboard directly
Apple has finally gone the way of their laptops which have everything bolted, soldered, then welded to the motherboard. No replaceable parts. If something breaks, oh well. Another $1,000 down the drain for the phone, or another $3,000 for an underpowered laptop.
Not sure how old this comic is, but it's about as on point as one can get.
Google already uses e-sims for Google Fi service. The Pixel's still have a physical slot for a physical sim though. As long as Apple leaves the option for a physical sim card nothing is really changing.
ask recovering tyrants to become regular /. feature sometime in the future? from small beginnings as abused/abusive schoolyard bullys to wwworld domination.. unbelievable? ask as many questions as you like,, please stay on topic..
Unless I misunderstood, it has one traditional SIM like all iphomes always had, you can use that when buying a SIM on holiday for example. The second one is inside the device. Hence I don’t see it as a lock down issue.
Yet another way to control what you do with your phone. EVERY phone should have a sim slot that can be populated with whatever sim card you want.
Apple has been trying to do this for years. Since the first LTE iPhone in fact.
As it happens, the core specs for GSM/UMTS and LTE actually mandated SIM cards. As did PTCRB and GCF certification, which use the 3GPP specs of course.
So, they all said.. Nope.
Of course, the networks did not support OTA SIM provisioning anyhow.
Most do these days. You find that most of the new M2M products out there use soldered SIM chips.
It's good for providers, but for you, the iPhone user it kind of sucks when you want to buy a used iPhone or sell your. You need to rely on the network provider to provision your SIM based on your IMEI, which.. legally, they are not obligated to do. They can say.. nope... you have to buy a new phone because we don't do that.
I don't care all that much since I don't use an iPhone. I only get a new phone every 2 years when my company gives us new ones, so I cannot sell my phone anyhow.
But.. I guess there are plenty of people out there who change their phones often. This is not good for you.
No headphone jack, wireless charging/connecting, and eSims means that a portless sealed phone will be possible. Apple will probably have the courage to releae a phone like this, then the others will follow.
Apple are always on the lookout for ways to lock in their customers, and here's a new one.
Please explain how this is restrictive and increases user lock in? All they are doing is moving the damn SIM chips out of the plastic chips and putting them on the motherboard. With a nano SIM I can get private unlimited mobile data plan that I pay for myself. I'll be able to route all my private data consumption over that number, relegate the company number my boss insists that I have to be used for phone calls only and no longer have to worry about getting chewed out for blowing the data cap on the cheap-ass data plan the company put me on. Yeah, that is so incredibly restricting, I will definitely (not) be limiting my choices to phones with only one SIM next time I upgrade.
I don't really know how SIMs work but is this not a good thing ? Is this not possible to slowly start getting rid of SIMs and only use smartphones' antenna and something like credentials in order to connect to the GSM network ? SIM cards take space and when you change carrier, they need to send you a new SIM, you have to change it, it takes time, etc. Having a soldered SIM that you can reprogram seems to me no different than having a SIMless device that you can connect and disconnect from any communication app, just like you can already do with any smartphone for any app, except this time it is to connect to the GSM network. I'm probably missing something as I'm not really knowledgeable on that matter so enlighten me, please.
Having switched to a dual-SIM Android device a few years ago, I now find it hard to go back to single-SIM. It's incredibly useful when traveling: running your home SIM to receive calls/messages plus a local SIM for cheap data and a local number. But even when home, it's nice to be able to leverage the power of dual-SIM by running a 2nd prepaid SIM from another network for those times when coverage from your main provider is lacking - or if you simply need a 2nd line for work purposes.
Even though I'm no Apple fan, I'm happy to see them finally make this step, and this is a rare instance where I hope other manufacturers do their usual "copy latest iPhone feature" procedure and make dual-SIM functionality a standard feature.
Now if only someone would release a modern dual-SIM phone (with 2nd SIM 3G/LTE) with a sub-5.0" screen size.
www.gaiageek.com
SIM cards die over time. 10+ years, you're lucky it still works. And new cards have extra cuts so you can 'extract' mini, micro, or nano as you need, then push it back into the frame and put into a larger slot. (or even not extract from the whole big credit card sized SIM card and put into an antique phone that accepted these.)
45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
So you think Apple are gonna let any old piece of software update their sim, any vendor anywhere? Or will they centralize it and control it (like they always do)?
There are already lots of phones available with support for dual SIMs and as you might've read the Chinese version had 2 physical sims instead of eSIM+microSIM.
> Please explain how this is restrictive and increases user lock in?
Ever heard of the second hand market?
It's really annoying to transfer a number and I expect it to be just as hard to transfer eSIMs (and if it isn't it probably has some security issue).
Just swapping a sim card like you swap a memory card or battery is really underappreciated until you stand there and don't have a choice.
Yeah I know I use a 2 year old Android phone with dual sim.
The Chinese version will be the one to get then by the sounds of it. The others will be locked, you want to change your sim, you will need to use an app that registers it with Cupertino. Sure vendors will have this option, but the days where you can go with any vendor you choose, well that will depend on how friendly they are with Apple HQ.
"Embrace" phase finished.
"Extend" phase activated.
Final phase to commence shortly.
Captcha = "hostage"
it is of course ridiculous that Apple sells the better, dual physical SIM model in China only! That eye openly ugly Apple has become to thread the rest of the world customers like this. So instead of the simplicity of inserting a local SIM we should go thru the pain and discussions and management overhead and DRM of eSIM? Not only does the Chinese model show that Apple can do it, in the Samsung Galaxy they even still fit an SD card, ..! https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
I've had enough of the obvious greed that underlies Apple's removal of the headphone jack, deletion of the MagSafe connector, and other similar
moves.
I used to be an Apple evangelist. Now I despise Apple.
I think smart people are going to move away from Apple. Apple is simply doing too many things that are grossly insulting to intelligent users.
Perhaps Jobs planned it this way. Appointing a person with no design sense as CEO could have been part of his strategy to show the world that Apple could not succeed without him.
"Please explain how this is restrictive and increases user lock in?"
You don't know how "SIMs" work. Really?
Right now, I can easily take the SIM out of one phone, plug it into another, and I'm using a different phone. I can switch between iOS and Android or even a feature phone, or between phones from different manufacturers. If traveling, I can buy a prepaid SIM locally and use that in my phone to avoid roaming costs. No need to get the carrier or anyone else involved, and I can do it as often as I want.
Why don't you tell us how that happens with a soldered in "eSIM."
All of the benefits you mention were in regard to dual SIMs, not eSIMs. It will be interesting to see if Apple's dual capability works with Verizon.
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
pathetic!
"The new iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max will use eSIM technology to allow users to use two phone lines on a single device."
Regarding multi-line, at least one carrier already provides a voice multi-line service on one device (BYOD) without requiring a special eSIM handset.
https://business.sprint.com/so...
Not sure how it would compare to eSIM.
I just had to change mine, because the new phones have nano or micro slots. I've had the card since 2002. Worked fine, I even cut it to fit a mini card slot. Now this is only one datapoint, but i've never heard of SIM cards going bad.
It's a very misleading, click-baity headline.
The phone still has a physical nano-SIM, so that if you travel you can purchase and use a SIM card.
The eSIM is what enables the second phone number.
Man; your blind faith in apple to do the right thing must keep you warm at night.
Unless you already have two SIM cards that need to be swapped, you really should look at virtual phone numbers from Google Voice and many other providers. The SIM for your domestic needs, and the virtual phones can be for everything else. I have active phone numbers on my phone right now in Hong Kong, Germany, and the US.
Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
You will take what we give you and you will give us money for it and love it!!!! - Apple
While many phones have featured dual SIM slots for several years now, Apple has improved on this. They will provide a dual-SIM phone that is more expensive and features one SIM that is soldered in place instead of being removable like a normal SIM. This furthers their company policy of selling devices that are welded shut and not serviceable by their owners. And, their advertising will attempt to make it look like they invented the idea of dual SIMs. The appeal of this company to so many people mystifies me.
You update the info that traditionally goes onto a SIM into the eSIM, same way you update credentials into any other authentication system.
Put another way, a SIM is like 'buy a CD-ROM, put it in your computer, every time you wnat to use that app' and an eSIM is like 'download directly to your hard drive, run whenever, switch to a different version whenever.'
Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
For your alternate number, and save some money
Anonymous comments are as pathetic as the anonymous "sources" that contaminate gutless journalism from the New York Time
You didn't answer the question.
You don't update SIMs, you get a new one if changing carriers. eSIMs let you sign up for service from carriers who support them. What about MVNOs? How do you switch back and forth to a phone which uses a standard SIM?
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
I can switch out either sim card in my Xiaomi phone that I got in 2017. Apple are playing catch up.
It's not so simple, because voltage hase been lowered over time, so even Nokia 33.10 will not work with most current mini-sims :-(
1. The new iPhone has 2 SIMs. One of them is traditional nano-SIM and is swappable
2. The eSIM is reprogrammable and Apple has already given instructions on how to do it.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
Well, much like you don't buy a Windows machine if your app is Mac only, you don't buy an eSim-only phone if your provider of choice doesn't support it.
Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
Seems a bad idea. I'm on EE (UK) and my choice is either EE or EE.. it can't be unlocked.
Also if not topped up for a 6 month period they deactivate the internal eSIM - permanently. I was very lucky in that I caught it in a limbo state (lasts about a week) so they could reactivate mine. I now have a reminder set to put £1 on it every 5 months.
In attempt to bring us more prof..features to our users, now all registration related information to the phone is hard wired in!
This fantastic feature ensures we can remotely control your phone at anytime and disable access to carriers without any setup required, we'll just use your special unique esim number to lock that phone to what we want in the future when you're forced to accept a new terms of service to keep using the phone!
Congratulations!
Another slashdot anti-Apple article. There is still a physical sim slot, two even, if you are in China.
Ding dong! Godwin's here!
So that the phone can always be identified - got it. Except in China where both sims can be swapped out. Makes you wonder who pressured apple to do this.
will be to have you insert a drop of your own blood into the phone when you want to unlock it.
So not only does the new iPhone have a legacy SIM slot, which requires you to buy a SIM card from a carrier for around $10, it now has a new eSIM slot which allows you to swap carriers by just scanning in a QR code with no requirement to purchase a new SIM from the carrier.
This is bad how?
lol I will not be buying one of the new phones, but all this is doing is removing carrier lock in further, and at a minimum I would expect more phones specifically Google phones to support it in the future.
This is a win for consumers, and small telecom companies since it now will remove the burden of having to build SIM cards, and where they can simply provide the ability to update the information on a phone.
The fact that Verizon and ATT are against eSIMs should clue people in to these. As for China, it's hard to say why they aren't getting the new eSIM but my guess is that it's easier for the government to manage and control physical SIMs.
For most people/places, this is better than dual physical SIMs.
The way this will work is such that you can have your primary carrier use either a SIM or eSIM. If it's the eSIM, then you can pop in any SIM for your secondary.
If you have your primary carrier on a physical SIM, then when you want to use a secondary carrier, simply go to Carrier Settings and set up from the available list and register or change from the available plans.
If you don't like the idea of obtaining a physical SIM, then choose your primary carrier as a SIM and register/change your eSIM as desired. If you may be traveling to places where there are more options for SIMs than eSIMs, set your primary carrier as an eSIM and change SIMs as desired.
The only situation where dual physical SIMs would be better is if you need to have a primary and secondary as physical SIMs. The one place this really comes to mind is China... which is getting a dual physical SIM model.
It's worth noting how many carriers and MVNOs have already moved to eSIM options in just the last year or so.
Unlocked phone in UK and EU.
Phone hardware and teleco provider are not in any way linked.
Usually on PAYG [Pay as You go] deals or contract deals bought from teleco.
Phone works with all teleco providers. You buy SIM from them to have phone number, you can swap SIMS as regularly as you like. When changing countries if you like you can have a SIM for best deal in each country, just swap out.
I never buy a 'locked to a teleco' phone.
Regards Eion MacDonald