san francisco Until now, SIM cards have been one of the essential components of mobile phones. The world’s most valuable technology group, Apple, is now taking a radical step to change that: For the first time, the company is completely omitting the slot for physical SIM cards in the latest iPhone devices.
In the USA, the devices of the latest iPhone 14 generation would only support electronic SIM cards, so-called eSIM, announced the responsible Apple product manager Kaiann Drance on Wednesday at the Apple company headquarters in Cupertino, California.
It has been technically possible to use smartphones without physical SIM cards since 2016. To do this, both the network operator and the end device must support eSIM. Samsung introduced the first smartphone with this function in 2016.
Apple also supported the eSIM function with the 13th generation iPhones. At the same time, however, the end devices retained the option of using physical SIM cards.
Apple is now changing that. “For the first time, all models sold in the US will no longer have a SIM card slot,” announced Drance. “As a result, it is no longer necessary to deal with physical SIM cards,” said the product manager. The iPhones could store multiple eSIMs and thus multiple phone numbers in parallel, Drance said.
In Germany, all three network operators support eSIM technology. Both Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone as well as Telefónica have solutions on offer. This eliminates the need to send physical cards for new contracts. However, users keep complaining that changing an eSIM to another device is more difficult. Not all modern smartphones support eSIM.
And often a process with the network operators is necessary to send a digital eSIM for another device. How Apple intends to solve these problems was initially left open by Drance. Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives welcomed Apple’s focus on eSIM, emphasizing that the approach could help protect devices from misuse.
These are other new features of the iPhone 14 at a glance
Francisco Jeronimo from the market researcher IDC is convinced that Apple will also abolish the slot for SIM cards in other countries in the future. “Next year, Apple will certainly expand the step to other markets,” Jeronimo told Handelsblatt. Then there could also be an obligation for eSIM in new iPhones in Germany.
“By doing without the slot, Apple wants to create space in the devices – to build thinner iPhones or use larger batteries,” said Jeronimo. Network operators could benefit from no longer having to laboriously manage physical cards and make them available to customers.
With the iPhones of the 14th generation, emergency SMS can be sent via satellite.
(Photo: REUTERS)
In addition to stronger performance, a brighter display and longer battery life, Apple introduced a new communication technology with the iPhone 14 for the first time. The devices can also send messages via satellite without cell phone reception. With a direct focus on the sky, emergency messages can also be sent to rescue workers in dead spots, Apple announced.
However, the connection remains a technical challenge, as the group emphasized at the presentation on Wednesday. The iPhone must be aimed directly at the satellite, and the transmission can take a few seconds or several minutes. Since the satellites cannot be seen with the naked eye, users receive help in aligning the devices with a graphic on the screen.
The feature will initially only be available in the US and Canada and will be free for iPhone 14 buyers for the first two years. Apple did not name a price for future use.
Mobile communication via satellite is currently experiencing several leaps in innovation. The US subsidiary of Telekom, T-Mobile, wants to enable mobile Internet via smartphone from next year thanks to a cooperation with Starlink. Unlike Apple, the technology should be usable for older smartphones. T-Mobile relies on a network of satellites in near-earth orbit. The company did not name which satellites Apple uses.
It was the first major novelty event on-site since the pandemic began.
(Photo: Reuters)
The more expensive Pro models of the iPhone 14 get, among other things, a smaller section on the display for the selfie camera and face recognition. The screen can also stay on all the time.
Apple has significantly increased the prices for its devices. The prices for the iPhone 14 Pro start at 1299 euros instead of the previous 1149 euros. The larger Pro Max now costs at least 1449 euros instead of the previous 1249 euros. The basic model of the iPhone 14 costs 999 euros compared to 899 euros for the iPhone 13.
Suitable for divers – the new Apple Watch.
(Photo: via REUTERS)
The iPhone accounts for more than half of Apple’s sales. However, the most important changes are taking place in other devices in Apple’s product range, Jeronimo was convinced. “The iPhone 13 is already good. It’s not easy to get customers to switch to iPhone 14,” Jeronimo said.
Instead, Apple is concentrating more on selling iPhone users other Apple products, especially smartwatches and headphones.
Under the name Apple Watch Ultra, Apple presented a new smartwatch that, among other things, has the full functions of a dive computer. At the same time, the device is also designed for long battery life of up to 60 hours and use in extreme weather conditions. All versions of the watch get built-in cellular connectivity. Apple also charges a high price for this: 999 euros.
The device is aimed at athletes, said Jeronimo. “Apple is challenging the Garmin specialists in particular,” said the IDC market researcher. According to calculations by IDC, Apple claimed around 51 percent of the global smartwatch market in the first half of this year. Garmin, on the other hand, achieved around seven percent.
Nevertheless, there are other growth opportunities for Apple. Only about every fifth iPhone user also owns a smartwatch, said Jeronimo. Apple is now pushing the business of convincing existing Apple customers of additional devices. The company charges 299 euros for the new entry-level device in the smartwatch sector, the Apple Watch SE.
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