Word on the street is that Apple considered ditching the SIM card slot in some of its iPhone 14 models. Whether it actually took the step is something that remains to be seen. It might happen, it might not. We’ll see, tomorrow night, at Apple’s Far Out event.

No more SIM city?

Mark Gurman, the Apple whisperer, suggested in his most recent newsletter that Apple hopes to drive eSIM adoption with the launch of the iPhone. It’s not clear which markets Apple would target, but some carriers are apparently on board to push the adoption of the digital version of ye olde SIM card.

Read More: What to expect from Apple’s Far Out event this week

This doesn’t have to mean removing the slot altogether, though Apple’s probably keen on it. It leaves a little extra space inside a phone’s case that may be turned towards other purposes. At the very least, it’ll boost the phone’s ability to shrug off moisture.

It’s possible that the iPhone 14 will feature some SIM-less models. If not this year, then the iPhone 15 is a candidate for a SIM-ectomy. “Apple has considered removing the physical SIM card slot altogether beginning either this year or next for some models,” reports Gorman.

If eSIM-only models of Apple’s most popular device turn up in South Africa, they’ll actually be functional. It was a slow start for the country but most of our mobile service providers now offer the digital replacements. And if Apple does it, you can expect Samsung and everyone who isn’t Samsung to also take a crack at dropping SIM cards entirely.

Source: Bloomberg