Steve Jobs wanted original iPhone to have no SIM card, claims iPod inventor Tony Fadell

The original iPhone brought the tech industry to a new era, and made smartphones the most essential tool in our lives. But did you know that Steve Jobs, Apple’s c0-founder, wanted the first iPhone to be SIM-free? While promoting his new book Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making at the Computer Hory Museum, “Father of iPod” Tony Fadell revealed that Jobs’ vision for the iPhone was to have a connected device without a SIM card slot. The revelation was made Fadell in an interview with journal Joanna Stern.
Fadell revealed that Jobs wasn’t a big fan of the iPhone having a physical SIM card slot. Instead, he wanted it to be a seamless device stating “we don’t want another hole in it.” According to Fadell, Jobs wanted Apple to use CDMA technology in its iPhone to connect to cell towers, rather than GSM. Fadell said he had to show convince Jobs that CDMA technology adoption was too low to be sustainable for the iPhone. Eventually, Apple did launch a CDMA version of the iPhone 4 but the SIM tray persed

Apple does offer eSIM functionality on its iPhones but the feature is limited to a few countries. An iPhone without a physical SIM card is something Apple has been dreaming up for years, and looks like the time is near when the company actually launches the device without the actual SIM card tray. In fact, rumour has it that the iPhone 15 Pro models might not ship with a SIM card slot, paving way for a SIM-free iPhone.

The Cupertino giant is set to launch the iPhone 14 later this year, and based on leaks, the new lineup might include a lot of internal changes. Last week, a new report indicated that Apple is planning to ditch the Lightning port in the iPhone in favour of USB-C, in part to comply with the European Commission’s proposal that a USB-C connector will become the standard port for all smartphones and tablets.