From your own link:

> A virtual SIM is a mobile phone number provided by a mobile network operator that does not require a SIM card to connect phone calls to a user's mobile phone.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIM_card#Other_variants

This isn't about Apple becoming an MVNO, this is about Apple somehow controlling the process of configuring your phone because you no longer have the option to choose a SIM card and insert it yourself.

This is FUD. It’s about streamlining configuration of plans and activation and getting rid of physical widget

https://www.t-mobile.com/support/tutorials/topic/esim/activa...

This is marketing. It's about putting Apple in the middle of plans and activation, and getting rid of a physical standard.

I doubt payment is part of the spec, but I bet you a dollar Apple Payments is going to factor into the "seamless provisioning experience".

You would lose that dollar. eSIMs have been available on iOS for ages and have nothing to do with "Apple Payments".

You're too focussed on the narrow technology implementation and not on the potential consumer experience.

Here's what a rational, profitable scenario would look like to me: in the not-too-distant-future, you land in country X and you get prompted if you would you like a local number by partner Mobile network. If you agree, Apple submits your electronic ID[1] to the Mobile Network for KYC purposes (with your opt-in), you pay with your Apple wallet, and you get a local number. The network gets paid, and Apple gets its cut (as well as a subsequent payments, if it's a PAYG plan) - and you haven't even picked up your baggage from the carousel. Apple can even play off networks against each other and pick the more profitable ones, and consumers get a sleek onboarding experience for a fee, or bundled with your Apple TV/iTunes/iServices subscription, so you can resume watching season 10 of Foundation while you wait for your Uber.

1. https://www.macrumors.com/2021/11/15/apple-strict-terms-on-u...

You are criticizing a weird strawman here. eSIMs already work on iPhones, it would be difficult for Apple to walk back on that.

Removing the SIM slot isn’t a step into that direction, removing standards compliant eSIM support would be.

Or maybe your comment isn’t meant as a criticism at all, I think that actually sounds pretty awesome. As long as we retain the ability to load our own eSIMs.

>working on my own eSIM implementation

Please tell me you are serious about this. Tried looking into this earlier and found out that eSIM is extra proprietary, which means no hobby devices, like those 3G/4G/GSM connectivity Arduino modules.

I don’t know where you’re pulling these claims out from but here are the specs:

https://www.gsma.com/esim/esim-specification/

In addition you can get ST micro data sheets for full blown electrical and mechanical data sheets for free

Apple doesn’t use this eSIM spec, they have their own proprietary one.

Do you have a source for this?

Of course not, because it’s a lie.

Guess what. Apple can dent physical sims too though

Why do you think you a physical sim for different providers. Because they only work with that provider. Apple can turn the tap off on a class of Sims as it is

They can emulate the SIM card which gets provisioned on-the-fly with no user input according to the position of the device and whatever contract apple has for that area.

That's definitely going to be a step up in user comfort... The average apple user will definitely love it

From rumors I heard over a year ago, Apple are planning on satellite implementations of some sort to get off current cell tower configurations and SIM vulnerabilities. I don't have a current link to those rumors, but I'm sure you can find them. When I first saw this MacRumors article come through I assumed this is why they're removing SIM. We'll see, it's just rumors to me until it's brought to fruition anyway.