Apple is about to take its game-changing smartphone technology a step further. Last month, it hinted that the company had already instructed leading U.S. carriers to prepare for the launch of eSIMonly smartphones by the end of September 2022. This suggested that the future iPhone 14 model might get rid of the physical nano-SIM card holding tray. Here’s what we got to know about the major change.

Launching as a Variant

According to analyst Emma Mohr-McClune from GlobalData, Apple is not going to entirely switch for eSIMonly models right away. Instead, they can offer an eSIM only variant of the iPhone 14 as an optional choice. Along with its own stores, the company is likely to give the carriers an option to sell the eSIM only iPhone14 model alongside traditional models with both a nano-SIM card tray and eSIM.

Their iPhone 13 models already come with supporting multiple e-SIM profiles, allowing the users to subscribe to several cellular digital plans simultaneously, and to switch between them with ease. This functionality paved the way for a future variant of an eSIM only iPhone 14 variant, at least in some markets. As usual, Apple is expected to announce the detailed lineup of iPhone 14 this September.

The Digital SIM Technology

A digital SIM or an eSIM allows the user to start a cellular plan without using a physical nano-SIM card. Back in 2018, Apple first introduced this digital SIM technology with their iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max models. Many carriers across the world still don’t support this technology and have barred the use of eSIMs in their countries. But the technology is rapidly expanding, with more than 100 carriers adopting eSIMs and more planning to start offering service worldwide. This year, Vodafone in New Zealand and Three in the UK have extended their support to digital SIM technology.

A new study by the Technical University of Denmark suggests that there are more than 100 harmful chemicals used in plastic toys. The findings of the novel research can lead to stricter international regulations regarding plastic toy materials.

Harmful Chemicals in Plastic Toys Is No News

It has long been a public secret that some plastic toys contain chemicals that can be harmful to human health. However, it’s still difficult for parents to know which plastic toys contain these harmful elements and protect their children from them. Aside from the so-called “chemicals of concern” list, there are currently no international agreements on the substances that shouldn’t be used in toy materials.

To help bring positive change and provide evidence for greater international regulations, researchers from DTU and the University of Michigan joined forces with the UN Environment to analyze chemical functions and amounts found in plastic toy materials.

The Results of the Study

Researchers tested 419 chemicals found in soft, foam, and hard plastic materials used to make children’s toys. They identified 126 of those that can potentially have a negative effect on children’s health and ranked them according to the level of risk. That same study found that kids in Western countries have about 40 pounds of plastic toys on average, which shows the significance of controlling the use of harmful chemicals in toy materials.

The problem with current toy production is that manufacturers don’t usually provide any information regarding the chemical content of their products. That’s partly because there’s no regulation about it and partly because they are indeed using harmful elements. The researchers further outlined safe alternatives to the majority of harmful chemicals they identified.

Although this study is bringing the spotlight on an important issue, there’s still a lot more to be done before official regulations are in place. In the meantime, researchers advise parents to avoid buying plastic toys altogether to reduce the health risk for their children and themselves.