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...
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.