Apple lastly took wraps off its new iPad Air and iPad Professional throughout the “Let Free” occasion on Tuesday. Amongst many issues that got here off as an improve or one thing that aggravated the creatives, there’s one notable change with new iPads that creates a variety of distinction, for iPads and future iPhones.
The change is mobile variations of iPad Air, and iPad Professional are ditching the SIM tray in favor of the eSIM. Apparently, Apple launched eSIM assist some time in the past, however issues took the best flip, with eSIM-only iPhone 14 fashions solely within the U.S. Nonetheless, the brand new iPad Air and iPad Professional appear to assist eSIM-only, and that too, globally. Apple UK and Canada shops verify that new iPad fashions are “not appropriate with bodily SIM playing cards.”
It would trace that Apple is getting severe about eSIM; starting with iPads, future iPhones may very well be eSIM-only, too, globally. In the meantime, Apple hasn’t disclosed the rationale behind its choice to ditch bodily SIM trays. Nonetheless, given how skinny the brand new iPad Professional is — even thinner than the iPad Nano — it is perhaps why Apple wished the gadgets to be thinner or wanted to maintain them slim because of all of the {hardware} upgrades and bodily SIMs simply consuming up some additional house.
That stated, though eSIMs are but to achieve out to many components of the world, it’s maintaining the tempo. Contemplating the iPhone 14 got here off round two years in the past, Cupertino could have given enough time for carriers to introduce eSIM. There have been rumors final yr about Apple ditching the bodily SIM tray from European iPhone 15 fashions, however that didn’t occur. So, possibly it’s time we see Apple roll out eSIM-only iPhone 16 fashions later this yr — globally or develop it to extra international locations.