In the iPhone 14 series, Apple continued the practice of depriving smartphones of basic elements, begun in the days of the iPhone 7, which was left without a 3.5 mm jack. This time, the SIM tray went under the knife, completely disappearing in models for the US market – from now on only eSIM (an electronic SIM card, as if built into a smartphone). This bold, almost daring decision immediately provoked a wave of fair criticism. Thus, the authors of the XDA Developers portal called this approach anti-consumer, since Apple did not offer a worthy alternative to replace eSIM.

And although the very idea of eSIM in an ideal world would allow you to easily and quickly change operators, as well as save space in your smartphone, in reality this concept is still extremely far from being considered a global standard: even in the USA there are more than a dozen telecom operators that do not support eSIM . In other words, Apple will literally force you to part with your favorite telecom operator if it has not yet entered the list of “favorites”. Also, some carriers only issue eSIMs for expensive subscription plans. And this is already starting to smell like an agreement between Apple and major operators, because, as you can see, the rejection of physical SIMs is more beneficial to them than to ordinary users.

You will have no less problems if the iPhone 14 fails: you can’t just remove the SIM card and quickly start using your number from another smartphone. But the biggest problems start when you decide to travel outside the US: in most countries, the situation with eSIM is even more difficult. You will be forced to either pay huge amounts for roaming, or try to find and switch to a local operator that supports eSIM (if there is one at all).

Journalists emphasize that nothing prevented Apple from leaving the SIM card tray in the iPhone 14, because in any other country outside the United States it is built into every iPhone 14 model. However, the Cupertinos still took this step towards monopolization and the forced imposition of additional expenses – just as it was with the 3.5mm jack, which was advertised as a way to free up space inside the smartphone for other components, but ended up selling AirPods. Or the removal of the charging unit from the kit, which was explained by concern for the environment, but in reality people are simply forced to buy the same chargers for extra money.

And yet, XDA journalists conclude, “we all know how this will eventually turn out” – Android manufacturers will first ridicule the rejection of eSIM, and soon get rid of SIM trays themselves. And lose, as before, the consumer.

© Vladimir Kovalev. mobile phone

Sourced from xda-developers.com