iPhone 4S with A5, Sim-less? "Major New" iPhone 5 Due in 2012

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154107 iphone 4 sim slot

Mac Otakara adds some notes about the upcoming iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 models, according to an anonymous source.

According to an anonymous source, this reported product by DigiTimes is improved model of iPhone 4 on same form factor, and uses ARM Cortex-A9 chip as CPU, but it is not confirmed whether this model has single CPU or with dual CPU's.

Essentially, they confirm what has been hinted at in the past. The new 2011 iPhone ("iPhone 4S") will carry an ARM Cortex-A9 CPU (Apple's A5) though they can't confirm if it's single or dual core. Separately, the iPhone 4S will include an improved 8 mega-pixel camera and 3-4 antennas inside to accommodate the dual modes of AT&T and Verizon.

Separately, Mac Otakara revives an older rumor that the iPhone 4S will be "sim-less". We first heard this rumor back in late 2010, when Apple was said to be working with digital security firm Gemalto to create a custom SIM card that would exist as a built-in chip inside the iPhone to allow users to activate their devices with a broad array of carriers. Orange CEO Stephane Richard essentially confirmed that Apple had explored this "sim-less" option but had also indicated that Apple had decided against using it.

As you probably know, Apple has been working for years on reducing the size of SIM cards because they need space in the phone. They even thought about a device without any SIM card, that is what is known as the e-SIM project.

All of us told them it was a bad idea because the SIM card is a critical piece of the security and authentication process. It would be very difficult for a telco or carrier to manage the customer relationship. I think that they understood this point. We had a very constructive exchange and dialogue with them.

It may be possible that Apple ignored those suggestions or that this "eSIM" could be a stopgap measure while waiting for the newly proposed smaller SIM standard.

Tag: Mac Otakara

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Top Rated Comments

leon44 Avatar
leon44
187 months ago
eSIM being a stop gap before the smaller sim?

Really?

If you make a phone that doesn't need a sim card why would you update it with one that does.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wordoflife Avatar
wordoflife
187 months ago
Built in SIM? ... oh hell no. Don't remove one of the advantages of having a GSM phone.
I'll take the dual A5 and 8mp camera though. Coming from a 3GS, I'll be fine.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
clientsiman Avatar
clientsiman
187 months ago
Sim-less or built in Sim = no buy for me.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Echo64 Avatar
Echo64
187 months ago
Why is it that any "Anonymous rumor" is taken seriously these days? We have more than enough evidence to support that this is absolute BS...

The iPhone WILL NOT, (i repeat) WILL NOT get rid of the Sim card. That is absolutely suicide for Apple right now. None of the major wireless companies support it, and the advantages are very slim right now. What is more likely, is that apple will introduce the micro-sim, like we were told about months ago. There is simply no real evidence in the contrary.

Next, These iPhone 4S rumors also need to go. There is no way in hell that apple is going to call their next gen phone the "4S", there are plenty of people that would be confused and it makes no sense to lock themselves out of a logical "iPhone 5" title. As it was said like 100 times already, the 3G and 3GS were named that way because it was the '3G' network that they were emphasizing.

TBH, I don't really believe any of these rumors right now- Apple has stated again and again that supplies have not been affected, so don't you think they would have at least hinted if they were going to make a drastic change to their very strict release schedule ? Also, believe it or not, most people will not just buy the white iPhone 4 just because there is no proper upgrade. Pushing the schedule back risks that many 3G and 3GS users will go to another phone.

Why is this risky you ask? Well according to the rumors there will be no mention of a new iphone a WWDC (in about a week), When WWDC comes and goes the vast majority of people are not gonna be like "Oh that's ok I'm sure apple is gonna release it in September, although i have no word from them, I'll just wait on good faith in hopes that the phone doesn't suck..."- NO, IT DOESN'T WORK LIKE THAT. WWDC has always been centered around the iPhone reveal. Even if they push back the release, I cannot see them ignoring one of their main selling points.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cougarcat Avatar
Cougarcat
187 months ago
I was thrilled when they announced the 3GS, it was a major upgrade from the 3G. Moreso than the iPhone 4 was for the 3GS. Now that was a "meh" update. Just changing the outside look and mostly keeping the same internals.
The Retina display is what made the iPhone 4, IMO. CPU upgrades alone don't interest me. Then again, I never used an iPhone 3G, so I have no idea what kind of a speed boost the 3GS was.


If apple does go sim-less, it would be for aesthetic/technical reasons, allowing them to get rid of the slot and make the phone smaller. I hope they don't, though, as that would kill its international functionality.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jmmo20 Avatar
jmmo20
187 months ago
It truly amazes me how no one here seems to have a clue regarding the way SIMs work and function. I'm not here to lecture anyone, I just invite users to read about the SIM standard. I would just like to make a few points clear.

1) Apple cannot simply make a SIM card adapter and "make a copy" for the sim into a virtual sim. It's impossible to read the encryption keys.

2) SIM cards contain a few important codes, some of each are easily readable, while others are NEVER revealed to the phone itself nor the network. Basically the carrier gives the phone a code and asks for the phone to REQUEST the sim card to sign it. The SIM card itself (it's a microchip) signs the code, returns it to the phone, which in turn delivers it to the carrier, which then replies with the temporary encryption key for the data/voice session.

3) Having e-Sims make it specially dangerous to run jailbroken iphones. A jailbroken app could hijack your "e-sim" information and clone it.

4) the idea of an esim is NOT what Apple requested to the standards authorities a couple of weeks ago. What they asked for was for a standard on a SMALLER PHYSICAL sim card. That is, smaller than current micro-sims. Even current microsims have a lot of wasted real estate. The chip itself is about 2 sq milimeters. It's the contacts and the plastic around them that makes them bigger.


So, no, no "e-sims" anytime soon. And no, no "sim copying" anytime soon, either.

so people, please do inform yourselves on what SIMs actually do.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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