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

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.

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday March 31, 2025 11:27 am PDT by
Apple today released new firmware updates for all AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 models. The new firmware is version 7E93, up from the 7B21 firmware that was installed on the AirPods Pro 2 and the 7B20 firmware available on the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in the new firmware, but we'll update this article should we find ...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.4 With Mail Categorization and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched in September. macOS Sequoia 15.4 comes two months after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run macOS 15. With...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...

Top Rated Comments

leon44 Avatar
181 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
181 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
181 months ago
Sim-less or built in Sim = no buy for me.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Echo64 Avatar
181 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
181 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
181 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)