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They’re very useful. Although it’s sometimes hard to get eSIMs direct from carriers internationally since many only grant them on post-paid contracts. SIM card

They’re very useful. Although it’s sometimes hard to get eSIMs direct from carriers internationally since many only grant them on post-paid contracts. SIM cards also have their place, however, which is why Apple’s take on it is weird. When traveling, especially with so much MFA (for better or worse) is linked to a phone number, it makes having your phone damaged a major issue. You can’t simply pop out the SIM and move it across to a new phone. Even if you manage to get a new eSIM, most of the time you can’t activate it until you’re back in your origin country. This as an issue (carrier or otherwise) needs to be addressed with some urgency.

housemusicfan 3y ago
This can easily be resolved by not buying an Apple phone and buying a phone that still retains a physical SIM slot. Stop giving companies money for making stupid decisions. It only emboldens them further.
- wkat4242 3y ago
  The Samsung Z Flip 5 has this too :( Only 1 real SIM and the rest only eSIM. However it is a bit more understandable because the flip has very limited space due to the hinge components.
  - housemusicfan 3y ago
    The USA versions of Apple's flagship phones (iPhone 14 and up) have ZERO physical SIM slots. They are dual eSIM only. Models sold elsewhere in the world retain a single physical SIM slot. Yes you read that correctly. They made multiple versions and the American one is deliberately crippled. I'm certain the space regained by removing the SIM slot in a US-only variant has been repurposed for...absolutely nothing. It defies logic why they would do this, beyond some grand social experiment they can execute with little risk due to cult-like monopoly control of the market. I refuse to believe that they sold more than 12 of these SIM-less phones.
    - wkat4242 3y ago
      What?? I had no idea about this. I have not had an iPhone since the 6 so I haven't followed it that closely. I remember they offered eSIM for dualsim, I had no idea they were eSIM only in the US even for primary SIM use. Wow. This will so not work over here. > I'm certain the space regained by removing the SIM slot in a US-only variant has been repurposed for...absolutely nothing. Yeah, after all the specs are no different in any other way I guess? Samsung is doing something similar here though. They leave out the mmWave antennas. On US models you can see the antenna cutouts on their premium models but in Europe there is nothing in that space, just empty. It's a shame because while mmWave is not a thing here right now I don't buy my phones for just one year.
      - housemusicfan 3y ago
        Specs typically vary slightly with LTE band support but nothing that would drive large mechanical changes. This was a deliberate move, an A/B test of sorts. Good point on the mmWave support. I wonder if that's where the antenna is located. I don't care about mmWave, nor does anyone I know, so it doesn't even cross my mind. mmWave is a dying tech. It will suffer the same fate as WiMAX. If this is the trade off (and it shouldn't be), I'll choose the SIM slot every time.
        toast0 3y ago
        > mmWave is a dying tech. It will suffer the same fate as WiMAX. If this is the trade off (and it shouldn't be), I'll choose the SIM slot every time. I think mmWave has a lot more staying power than WiMAX. WiMAX as deployed was an alternative network to general purpose cell phone networks. As a third alternative to CDMA/GSM and upcoming LTE, it didn't make a lot of sense in the market. mmWave is deployed as augmentation to a network, mostly to increase capacity at hotspots like stadiums and maybe transit centers. Additionally it provides beneficial marketting, because network providers and handset makers can claim their network/device does huge bandwidth even if it's only true when you're the only person in a stadium. Given that US iPhone 12 and up support mmWave, and that spectrum management is a challenge at stadiums, it's pretty likely we'll continue to see deployments in that space. Even if mmWave doesn't live up to the marketting, moving half the customers to it frees up traditional spectrum for those customers that don't have it. Is it going to expand much beyond those situations? Maybe to airports and NYC train stations, but probably not beyond that. Is it ever going to be more than a small fraction of time connected for people other than stadium employees? No. Does that mean it's dying? No, it's just a constrained niche. Should you prefer a phone with or without mmWave? Depends on how often you go into situations with high person density.
wkat4242 3y ago
> They’re very useful. Although it’s sometimes hard to get eSIMs direct from carriers internationally since many only grant them on post-paid contracts. Exactly, this is a huge problem for me because I don't do post-paid (after one bill with unintended overage charges, I much prefer them just cutting me off until I pay again). The sim swapping being controlled by the provider (every time you need a new QR and they need to 'grant' it to you) is more restrictive too, and they usually enforce only models they sell directly. It's a real loss of flexibility that we used to have with hardware SIMs.
WallyFunk 3y ago
> SIM cards also have their place They're trying to kill physical SIM cards like they did with CDs. They only have their place insofar as you can say 'I can touch this, and also swap it out with another one' / otherwise 'tangible computing'.
- housemusicfan 3y ago
  Killing off physical SIMs is like arguing in favor of soldered RAM. Because that's all eSIMs are you know. They are not software SIMs. They are physical components with the additional capability of being provisioned remotely by the end user with a friendly UI that sometimes works. Moving physical SIMs (and thus your service) from a damaged, inoperable phone to a new one takes approximately 5 seconds. This cannot be improved upon with eSIM. That said, eSIMs have their place too, especially in the industrial IoT space. But completely eliminating physical SIMs from consumer handsets is beyond stupid.

housemusicfan 3y ago

This can easily be resolved by not buying an Apple phone and buying a phone that still retains a physical SIM slot. Stop giving companies money for making stupid decisions. It only emboldens them further.

wkat4242 3y ago
The Samsung Z Flip 5 has this too :( Only 1 real SIM and the rest only eSIM. However it is a bit more understandable because the flip has very limited space due to the hinge components.
- housemusicfan 3y ago
  The USA versions of Apple's flagship phones (iPhone 14 and up) have ZERO physical SIM slots. They are dual eSIM only. Models sold elsewhere in the world retain a single physical SIM slot. Yes you read that correctly. They made multiple versions and the American one is deliberately crippled. I'm certain the space regained by removing the SIM slot in a US-only variant has been repurposed for...absolutely nothing. It defies logic why they would do this, beyond some grand social experiment they can execute with little risk due to cult-like monopoly control of the market. I refuse to believe that they sold more than 12 of these SIM-less phones.
  - wkat4242 3y ago
    What?? I had no idea about this. I have not had an iPhone since the 6 so I haven't followed it that closely. I remember they offered eSIM for dualsim, I had no idea they were eSIM only in the US even for primary SIM use. Wow. This will so not work over here. > I'm certain the space regained by removing the SIM slot in a US-only variant has been repurposed for...absolutely nothing. Yeah, after all the specs are no different in any other way I guess? Samsung is doing something similar here though. They leave out the mmWave antennas. On US models you can see the antenna cutouts on their premium models but in Europe there is nothing in that space, just empty. It's a shame because while mmWave is not a thing here right now I don't buy my phones for just one year.
    - housemusicfan 3y ago
      Specs typically vary slightly with LTE band support but nothing that would drive large mechanical changes. This was a deliberate move, an A/B test of sorts. Good point on the mmWave support. I wonder if that's where the antenna is located. I don't care about mmWave, nor does anyone I know, so it doesn't even cross my mind. mmWave is a dying tech. It will suffer the same fate as WiMAX. If this is the trade off (and it shouldn't be), I'll choose the SIM slot every time.
      - toast0 3y ago
        > mmWave is a dying tech. It will suffer the same fate as WiMAX. If this is the trade off (and it shouldn't be), I'll choose the SIM slot every time. I think mmWave has a lot more staying power than WiMAX. WiMAX as deployed was an alternative network to general purpose cell phone networks. As a third alternative to CDMA/GSM and upcoming LTE, it didn't make a lot of sense in the market. mmWave is deployed as augmentation to a network, mostly to increase capacity at hotspots like stadiums and maybe transit centers. Additionally it provides beneficial marketting, because network providers and handset makers can claim their network/device does huge bandwidth even if it's only true when you're the only person in a stadium. Given that US iPhone 12 and up support mmWave, and that spectrum management is a challenge at stadiums, it's pretty likely we'll continue to see deployments in that space. Even if mmWave doesn't live up to the marketting, moving half the customers to it frees up traditional spectrum for those customers that don't have it. Is it going to expand much beyond those situations? Maybe to airports and NYC train stations, but probably not beyond that. Is it ever going to be more than a small fraction of time connected for people other than stadium employees? No. Does that mean it's dying? No, it's just a constrained niche. Should you prefer a phone with or without mmWave? Depends on how often you go into situations with high person density.

wkat4242 3y ago

> They’re very useful. Although it’s sometimes hard to get eSIMs direct from carriers internationally since many only grant them on post-paid contracts. Exactly, this is a huge problem for me because I don't do post-paid (after one bill with unintended overage charges, I much prefer them just cutting me off until I pay again). The sim swapping being controlled by the provider (every time you need a new QR and they need to 'grant' it to you) is more restrictive too, and they usually enforce only models they sell directly. It's a real loss of flexibility that we used to have with hardware SIMs.

WallyFunk 3y ago

> SIM cards also have their place They're trying to kill physical SIM cards like they did with CDs. They only have their place insofar as you can say 'I can touch this, and also swap it out with another one' / otherwise 'tangible computing'.

housemusicfan 3y ago
Killing off physical SIMs is like arguing in favor of soldered RAM. Because that's all eSIMs are you know. They are not software SIMs. They are physical components with the additional capability of being provisioned remotely by the end user with a friendly UI that sometimes works. Moving physical SIMs (and thus your service) from a damaged, inoperable phone to a new one takes approximately 5 seconds. This cannot be improved upon with eSIM. That said, eSIMs have their place too, especially in the industrial IoT space. But completely eliminating physical SIMs from consumer handsets is beyond stupid.