Purported Leaked iPhone 5 Sim Tray Calls Nano Sim Future Into Question
Purported leaked photos of a new sim card tray for the iPhone 5 appear to be remarkably similar in size and design to that of the iPhone 5. How does this story connect with the ETSI’s delay of Apple’s new “nano sim” standard?
By now you’ve probably heard about rumors of a leaked iPhone 5 sim card tray that is making its rounds on various tech blogs and media outlets. The photos — typically of most purported leaked components for the iPhone 5 — detail a sim card tray that looks remarkably similar in size and design to the sim card tray currently used on the iPhone 4S.The design of the new tray actually seems to be quite rough around the edges, with unnecessary curves as the metal reaches the right edge. This new tray actually seems to have more SIM card space too: while there’s the corner dent intended for a microSIM, there’s an additional layer of metal underneath that seems quite out of place. Those subtle (yet sloppy) differences makes us wonder if this is really an iPhone part, or something designed for a knock-off.Because of the similarities in size and design, tech pundits are drawing conclusions. The easy claim here is that the emergence of a new sim card tray that sports the same dimensions as the old one suggests that the iPhone 5 may not turn out to be as thin as everyone has come to believe will be the case. Others believe that the iPhone 5 could turn out to sport the same iPhone 4 form factor that has continued on in the 4S.
I don’t know about any of that, but I can tell you this: these sim card tray photos remind me of the story back in March about Apple’s move to fast-track their “nano sim” standard with the ETSI, and how the vote on that standard was stalled by Apple’s competitors. Did that issue ever get resolved?
No. Or at least, not that I can tell. I snooped around and found no follow-up to the March 30th delay of the vote by the ETSI. I also checked the ETSI news page, and saw nothing — only the old press release about the delayed vote.
You may recall that the iPhone 5 News Blog wrote about how a “Delay In Nano Sim Standard Vote Could Affect iPhone 5 Release.” Based on what we know about the nano sim standard, it would appear that Apple is trying to sneak in the standard, which would do two things: give Apple the ability to build a much thinner iPhone 5 form factor using their own in-house standard for the sim card, and make their competitors have to quickly retool current designs that are still on the 2012 workbench.
The oddity about the nano sim is that some have argued the patent calls for a much smaller sim, but a slightly larger tray. That detail echos in my head with this new story of a purported iPhone 5 sim card tray that looks like the old one. Has Apple abandoned the hope of getting their nano sim standard approved for 2012 and are reverting to the old design? And if so, how could this impact the form factor and/or the release date?
By Michael Nace
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