The passage of time has not only led to obvious technological improvements in mobile phones, but also in the SIM card that is carried inside by the operator and that allows calls to be made or data to be used through coverage, among other options. These cards have become smaller and smaller and today are known as Micro SIM or Nano SIM, but soon will cease to exist to give input to a virtual format which is already spreading today, as Steve Jobs, the creator of the first iPhone, wanted.
It was last year that the rumor arose that the iPhone 14 would not include a SIM card slot and this ended up happening in a way. Apple complied with the leak, although it was only applied to models distributed in the United States, while European versions continued to opt for the possibility of using a physical SIM. This suggests that its end is closer than ever, although there are certain nuances that must be taken into account.
Steve Jobs plan
Many years ago, before the launch of the first iPhonethe tycoon Steve Jobs already wanted to carry out the manufacture of the phone without sim card slot. This has been a story that was unveiled by Tony Fadell, former vice president of iPod, who was interviewed last year and received quite interesting questions.
According to Tony, it was during the early development of the iPhone that Steve Jobs refused to add a SIM card tray, as he preferred the design of the device without a SIM card slot. The former vice president of the section in charge of the iPod affirms that the founder of Apple urged the company’s engineers and pointed out that “we don’t want another hole in it”, referring to the body of the mobile.
Steve Jobs used Verizon at the time to show that an iPhone without a SIM card can work. This is because the operator used a CDMA network that did not require a physical SIM, since smartphones connect directly to the operator’s own network. However, the idea was rejected despite the tycoon’s insistence because it was a little-adopted technology in those years.
Now, more than 10 years later, things have changed radically and the demise of SIM cards is imminent. Apple has already taken the first step in the United States and it is a matter of time before it also applies this measure in the rest of the world. Most mobiles are already compatible with the virtual eSIM, which allows you to link your operator’s service digitally and remove the physical SIM.
Apple and Samsung, the best positioned
More and more brands are betting on give their smartphones the ability to use an eSIM. Recently, it was Xiaomi that joined this select group of devices with launches such as the Xiaomi 12T Pro and the Xiaomi 13 series. But before that, it was Apple and Samsung that began to tinker with this functionality.
Both the American and South Korean companies have been offering the option of not using a physical SIM on their mobiles for some time. However, it has been Apple that has given the first step to enforce the use of eSIM and remove the tray for the card of a lifetime, although it seems that this measure is not going to expand, at least for now, since it is a slow and progressive process. In addition, it must be taken into account that not the entire population knows how to use the new virtual SIM and some operators still do not allow it.
Although we are closer to before this moment ends up taking place, but from MovilZona we believe that this paradigm shift It won’t happen for another 2 or 3 years.. And it would only apply to high-end models, while the rest of the devices would continue to offer the possibility of a physical SIM card.