Intel and Microsoft moving forward with always-on eSIM PCs

Intel and Microsoft are taking a page off smartphones to push "always-on" PCs that can more easily connect to the Internet. The plan involves integrating non-removable LTE radios onto Intel chipsets called eSIM that the end user can then customize through software based on the desired network service. PCs sporting eSIM would work similarly to current smartphones except that eSIM would require no removable SIM cards from the user to run properly.

Major manufacturers like Asus, HP, Huawei, Lenovo, Xiaomi, and even Vaio have pledged to produce Windows PCs with eSIM technology. Asus, for example, unveiled a prototype eSIM-enabled laptop codenamed "Kukuna" during a Microsoft press conference at Computex 2017. It will be interesting to see how eSIM can impact the design of future tablets and laptops as existing WWAN-enabled products require special dedicated M.2 modules and antennae.

Privacy, of course, will always be a concern with "always-on" devices. Users should still be able to disable Internet connectivity as usual, though there's no denying that eSIM will make it even easier for Microsoft to collect user data or force certain updates at will. No word yet on when we can expect to see the first eSIM PCs come to market.

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