As rumors circle the rumors bowl that Apple could soon release an iPhone without a physical SIM card slot, former iPod VPN Tony Fadell says that was part of Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ vision for the original iPhone.
In a recent interview with journalist Joanna Stern for a special event at the Computer History Museum to promote his new book Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making, Fadell revealed that Jobs wanted the iPhone to be a seamless device with no SIM card slot.
Jobs was apparently interested in dropping GSM cellular technology, replacing it with CDMA to connect iPhones to cell towers, which Verizon used to link directly to the carrier’s network.
Fadell said he was forced to show Jobs market data to convince him that CDMA adoption was too low for it to be a feasible option for the OG iPhone. While Apple eventually did release a SIM-free iPhone in January 2011, when it released a CDMA version of the iPhone 4 for use on the Verizon network. However, the SIM card returned on the CDMA iPhone with the release of the iPhone 4S.
We’ve seen rumors that iPhone 15 Pro models might not have a physical SIM card slot in at least some countries and regions.
While it has been expected that the iPhone 15 lineup would be SIM-free, it is possible that the SIM card slot will be removed from some iPhone 14 models, as some rumors have stated a 2022 timeframe for the iPhone to go slot-free.
One possible obstacle to Apple’s adoption of eSIM technology, which would replace the SIM slot, is that eSIM functionality is not available in some countries, so iPhones sold in those regions will require the nano-SIM slot to remain on the device. A list of the more than 60 countries that support eSIM, is available on Apple’s website.
Apple is expected to introduce the iPhone 14 models at an event that will likely be held in September 2022.
