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> Just like "The Democratic Republic of..." old joke: if it needs to say so and to add that in its name, it's likely neither a democracy nor a republic.

From Lord of War:

> "Every faction in Africa calls themselves by these noble names - Liberation this, Patriotic that, Democratic Republic of something-or-other... I guess they can't own up to what they usually are: the Federation of Worse Oppressors Than the Last Bunch of Oppressors. Often, the most barbaric atrocities occur when both combatants proclaim themselves Freedom Fighters."

> eSIM seems to be good for the carrier (who doesn't have to ship anything or manage a database of SIMs for sale: provision on demand) but not for the customer.

Except that as a customer I can buy cell service from my phone without having to anywhere or have anything shipped to me. eSIM is great for me personally. I had bought cell service on my main iPad (Mini 6) and it was seamless, then a few months later I tried to do the same on an iPad 6 (test/demo device) and realized I would have to get a real sim card so I just gave up and moved on because it wasn't that important and would have just been a "nice to have". eSIM makes my life easier though I understand international travelers might have some rough spots until the carriers get onboard (which they will because... Apple).

Additional anecdata: My iPhone 12 -> iPhone 13 upgrade smoothly transferred the eSIM as well.

Selection Bias? People tend to complain when things go bad, but not praise when it works as expected.