Exclusive Interview with Apple’s eSIM Team: More Space, More Innovation | Tomorrow’s Rearview

Tomorrow’s Rearview Mirror — Evolution in Consumer Electronics

Consumer electronics may run on silicon, but they still follow carbon-world rules: survival of the fittest.

• The mouse has kept almost the same shape over 60+ years.
• Computers shrank from room-sized machines to household devices — and now, pocketable tools.
• Other products, like pagers, GPS devices, and iPods, were overtaken before they could evolve — now remembered mainly by one generation.

In our Tomorrow’s Rearview Mirror column at ifanr, we track tomorrow’s product evolution:

• Birth of ideas
• Survival in a changing market
• Impact on lifestyles
• Transformation by users

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iPhone Air — A New Kind of Thinness

At first glance, you might underestimate it.

• Thickness: 5.1 mm
• Weight: 161 g

These specs are not mind-blowing alone — but holding an iPhone Air reveals a refined philosophy of spatial utilization.

The Key Decision: eSIM

Apple made a long-delayed change:

> Use eSIM instead of a physical SIM card.

• 2022: iPhone 14 (U.S.) — fully eSIM
• 2025: First China-market iPhone with no physical SIM

This is a landmark — on launch eve, Arun Mathias (VP Wireless Software Technologies & Ecosystem) and Anjali Jotwani spoke with ifanr.

▲ Arun Mathias, Apple VP

Mathias summed up the impact:

> Removing the physical SIM card is just the beginning. Once we have more space, we can achieve more innovations.

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The Cost of the SIM Card

What is eSIM?

Apple engineers define it as:

> An industry-standard digital method for assigning SIM card functionality to a phone.

To see why this matters, look back to the physical SIM card (since 1991):

• SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) stores identity info, SMS data, contacts.
• Purpose: authenticate you on a network.
• Problem: takes valuable space.

Space Evolution

• Early SIMs = credit-card sized
• Later: mini SIM → micro SIM → nano SIM (current standard)
• Even nano SIM requires connector, tray, sealing — costs 3D space.

> Every cubic millimeter inside an iPhone is contested—battery, cameras, cooling, antennas.

Removing the SIM tray can mean more battery, better cooling, or new sensors.

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From Space Savings to New Benefits

This spatial liberation can enable:

• Larger batteries (example: iPhone 17 Pro, +2 h video playback)
• Enhanced internal designs — integration, sensors, antennas

Platforms like AiToEarn官网 mirror this effect digitally — removing publishing constraints to let creators distribute AI-generated content across Douyin, Kwai, WeChat, YouTube, Instagram, X, etc., with analytics & model ranking (AI模型排名).

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The Triumph of Compromise — eSIM Timeline

Apple’s journey took 18 years to eliminate the SIM tray:

• 2007: Original iPhone — SIM tray design
• 2010: iPhone 4 — micro SIM
• 2012: iPhone 5 — nano SIM
• 2014: iPad Air 2 — Apple SIM (universal, rewritable)
• 2017: Apple Watch — first eSIM device
• 2018: iPad Pro / iPhone XS — dual SIM (1 physical, 1 eSIM)
• 2022: iPhone 14 (US-only, eSIM-only)
• 2025: iPhone Air — global eSIM-only

This required global standard alignment with hundreds of carriers:

> Regulations vary by country, tech systems vary by carrier — we invested years in meeting global requirements. — Arun Mathias

As of 2025:

• 500+ carriers support iPhone eSIM
• Users have tripled in 2 years

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Unique Challenge: China

Chinese regulations require:

• In‑person carrier store visit
• ID verification
• On‑site activation — “individual-device-ID match”

Apple’s Solution: "eSIM Carrier Activation"

Steps:

• Verify identity at service center
• Staff reads device info via NFC reader
• Carrier backend pre‑configures eSIM
• iPhone detects pending eSIM
• User confirms download & activation

> Instant connection — no card swapping, just a tap on the reader.

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Future: eSIM Quick Transfer

Soon in Mainland China:

• Transfer your eSIM to a new device without visiting a store.

Currently:

• Mainland iPhone Air max = two eSIM slots (software-enforced)
• Overseas models: up to eight slots

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Travel Abroad — The Two-Slot Reality

If both slots are domestic:

• You must delete one to add an international eSIM (then re‑activate later)
• Or use domestic roaming

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Apple’s Perspective

> Even with limits, eSIM beats physical SIM — no stack of cards, no risk of loss.

Global benefits:

• 200+ carriers offer prepaid intl. eSIM data
• Activate before landing — skip store queues
• iOS 26 “Travel eSIM” — keep domestic iMessage/FaceTime number while on intl. eSIM

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Cardless Future

Q: Is cardless design Apple’s future?

A: Yes — freeing space enables ultra-thin designs like iPhone Air. Expect expansion across lines and markets.

Future devices:

• Foldable iPhone (next year)
• Four-curved all-glass iPhone (2027)

These will follow the plateau design — maximize internal space for battery/components.

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Mainland China iPhone Air eSIM Q&A

Q: Are hardware limits responsible for China’s two-slot cap?

A: No — limit is via software, as per local regulations.

Q: Can a foreign eSIM be used back in China alongside a domestic eSIM?

A: Yes — activate abroad; works like physical SIM roaming.

Q: Will Quick Transfer work without carrier cooperation?

A: Apple designs the feature, but rollout depends on carrier network support. China requires in‑person activation.

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By removing a “taken-for-granted” part — the SIM tray — Apple unlocked greater design freedom, just as platforms like AiToEarn官网 unlock creative freedom for content makers by removing distribution barriers. Both show: when you free space, you make room for innovation.