The next model of Apple’s iPhone, expected this fall, may have a surprise that’s more profound than a rumored orange color option.
It may be the debut of something called the “eSIM,” which could have very big implications for AT&T, Verizon Communications, Sprint, and T-Mobile US.
The eSIM is not a card, it is a chip that can be soldered to the circuit board of the phone at the factory. The most obvious advantage is that it obviates the need for a tray, which means a device can be smaller. More important is that the eSIM is designed to be programmed remotely, “over the air.” … It can potentially allow a phone user to switch carriers at will, simply by signing up for deals from a variety of operators and having the phone immediately switched over, like an easier version of “prepay” cards. Apple’s cellular iPads already allow this capability, even without an eSIM.
Craig-Hallum’s Anthony Stoss this morning wrote that chip giant STMicroelectronics, which provides chips for eSIM, “may have won” business from Apple to put an eSIM in the upcoming iPhone models expected to be released this fall, based on his “checks.”
MacDailyNews Take: It’s 2019. We already have eSIMs in our Apple Watches and iPads. Bring on the eSIM in iPhones, already! The more the carriers have to compete for business, the better!
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]