Apple Proposes Standard for Smaller SIM Cards to Make Even Thinner iPhones
Current micro-SIM (bottom right) punched out of a full-size SIM card (top right)
Reuters reports that Apple has submitted a proposal for a standardized SIM card design smaller than the micro-SIM currently used in the iPhone 4 and iPad, with the new design having apparently won the backing of French carrier Orange. The design would reportedly allow Apple and other companies adopting the card to design smaller and thinner devices.
"We were quite happy to see last week that Apple has submitted a new requirement to (European telecoms standards body) ETSI for a smaller SIM form factor -- smaller than the one that goes in iPhone 4 and iPad," said Anne Bouverot, Orange's head of mobile services.
"They have done that through the standardisation route, through ETSI, with the sponsorship of some major mobile operators, Orange being one of them," she told the Paris leg of the Reuters Global Technology Summit.
With finalization of the standard and technical issues still to be worked out, devices using the smaller SIM card could hit the market next year.
Apple made waves last year with reports that the company was seeking to deploy embedded SIM cards, a step that would remove some of the power of carriers over phone distribution. While the GSM Association and some carriers expressed interest in the idea, threats from other carriers to withhold iPhone subsidies reportedly resulted in Apple backing away from the technology for the time being.
It is unclear whether the newly-proposed standard is related to the embedded SIM technology discussed last year, but it appears to more likely simply be a smaller evolution of the removable SIM cards in use today.
Popular Stories
Samsung recently introduced the M8, a new 32-inch 4K display that's priced at $700, making it less than half as expensive as the Studio Display from Apple. We picked up one of the displays and thought we'd compare it to the Studio Display in our latest YouTube video to see how it performs and whether you can save some money by going with a cheaper option.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube ...
Apple today announced in a support document that macOS Server is being discontinued as of April 21, 2022. Apple has been phasing out macOS Server for several years now, and the company is finally ready to shut it down for good.
macOS Server 5.12.2 will be the last version of the app, and macOS Server services have now been migrated to macOS. Popular macOS Server capabilities that include...
The Apple Cash virtual debit card appears to be switching networks from Discover to Visa, as revealed in some updated images on Apple's website and noted by Twitter user @Kanjo.
Since its launch, Apple Cash (originally known as Apple Pay Cash) has been operated through a partnership with Green Dot Bank on the Discover network. Discover is one of the smaller card networks and is accepted in...
Members of the European Parliament this week voted overwhelmingly in support of legislation that will compel Apple to offer a USB-C port on all iPhones, iPads, and AirPods in Europe.
The proposal, known as a directive, will force all consumer electronics manufacturers who sell devices in Europe to ensure that all new phones, tablets, laptops, digital cameras, headphones, headsets, handheld...
The iPhone 14 Pro could feature significantly rounder corners to match the larger rear camera array, according to Apple concept graphic renderer Ian Zelbo.
Zelbo, who is best known for creating renders of upcoming Apple devices based on leaked information, including the Mac Studio, Studio Display, rumored mixed-reality headset, and more, believes that the iPhone 14 Pro models are likely to...
Originally announced at CES back in January, the U.S. version of Anker's highly anticipated 736 USB charger is now available through Amazon for $75.99 in black/silver.
Using Anker's GaN II technology, the 100-watt 736 charger is 34% smaller than Apple's 96-watt charger, yet offers the flexibility of three USB ports to charge multiple devices when needed.
The 736 includes two USB-C ports...
The iPhone 14 lineup will be available in a refreshed lineup of color options, including an all-new purple color, and feature a new True Tone flash design, according to a sketchy rumor shared by an unverified source (via AppleTrack).
The post, which has since been deleted, comes from an unverified source on Chinese social media site Weibo and claimed to reveal the full range of color options ...
Transcend has announced a 1TB version of its JetDrive Lite 330 expansion cards for 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, providing users of Apple's latest Macs with an affordable way to increase internal storage capacity.
Transcend says the JetDrive Lite 330 cards are built with high-quality NAND flash, offering read and write speeds of up to 95MB/s and 75MB/s, respectively. Once the...
Apple yesterday released a firmware update designed for the MagSafe Battery Pack, and it turns out the new firmware enables 7.5W charging while on the go, up from the previous 5W limit.
In an support document, Apple says that MagSafe Battery Pack owners can update their firmware to the new 2.7.b.0 release to get the faster 7.5W charging capabilities.
Updating the MagSafe Battery Pack can...
Top Rated Comments
Whoa, let's not state this as a fact or anything. Since the iPhone was not the first real smartphone. When it was first released it didn't even have the ability to load custom applications into the phone.
Give credit where credit is due mate; the IBM Simon came out in 1994 and had a significant amount of functionality that would later be seen in smartphones like the Handspring Treo and RIM's Blackberry line (circa 2002).
Once could argue that the iPhone was the first smartphone to be adopted by the average consumer en masse. It also defined a new form factor that now appears to be the gold standard for many of today's smartphones. </rant>
And when it comes to fitting such a thing into something the size of an iPad it gets even more laughable. Perhaps I'm missing something, but I can't see the point yet.
If they were going to totally redesign the whole thing from scratch and make the whole card and the reader inside/contact points, the size of a match head, then I guess fair enough.
But shaving a bit of plastic off, when the device it's slipping into is MASSIVE in comparison, the reasoning behind it is a bit lost on me I must say.
Especially where there are much more important things to worry about.
I never get that with Apple, they have some fundamental things to sort out, and yet they faff around with things like this.
It's like making a car with poor brakes and keep worrying about the material the seat covers are made from
a) Forces you to gain permission to use a device you've paid for (i.e. activate it) using their servers every time you restore it. If Apple's servers don't work (or they close them down) you can't use your device.
b) Requires you to download an entire 650MB+ file to update the smallest of things - USING A COMPUTER! when other manufacturers have had OTA and small updates for years
c) Requires you to sync with iTunes (I'm not even going to write about how bad iTunes is) to do the tinest of things like adding a ringtone to your phone, when other devices can do it without a computer at all
d) Plays to every whim of the carriers (particularly AT&T), restricting how people use their devices
I don't expect a "soft SIM" approach implemented by Apple to be of any benefit to consumers. The above four things benefit Carriers but not users. I expect(ed) Apple's "Soft SIM" approach to be no different.
I can't perceive how a "Soft SIM" approach implemented even by a saint would be of any benefit to consumers. It simply wouldn't offer them any more flexibility than they already have and it would take conveniences away from them.
Why do you make that (wrong) assumption?
It would have meant the exact opposite.