Apple Offers Royalty-Free Patent Licenses to Push Proposed Nano-SIM Standard

Why don't they use a device to load the data stored in the SIM directly on the iPhone?

What's the point of smaller SIM if it needs a tray to hold it?

Smaller tray?

Nano SIM

If they would only fit this to a Macbook Air it would be perfect.

I hope Apple gets screwed on this, for shafting the rest of the planet on LTE connectivity in the "new iPad".

It's not Apple's fault that LTE is pretty much non-existent in Europe.

The SIM "CARD" is one of the greatest inventions in mobile technology? Are you kidding me? Perhaps a great invention for the purpose of locking consumers into contracts?

You have the option of buying a full price unlocked phone from a retailer and a pay as you go SIM from any GSM (by GSM, I mean GSM/UMTS/HSPA/LTE - technologies of the same family that use SIMs) carrier and you won't be locked in any contract. If you don't like your carrier, buy a SIM from another one and put it in your phone.

That's harder to do on SIM-less CDMA carriers where you have to buy a phone from them. They might let you pay full price and sign up without a contract. I'm not sure. But you have to buy the phone from them, you don't get to choose from the vast selection of unlocked GSM phones out there and your phone can't usually be used on another CDMA carrier.

It's even harder to pull off in the US where 2 of the 4 major carriers are CDMA and the other two GSM carriers don't even use the same frequencies for 3G. But in Europe, it's more practical. Plus people in the US like getting phones for dirt cheap in exchange for a two year contract.

For being a tangible external eyesore and pain in the a**?

The SIM in most phones is underneath the battery cover. In the Phone, it's hidden away inside a tray. Put a bumper or case on your phone and you won't even see the tray. What phone are you using where the SIM is an external eyesore?

For holding back new phone designs for the last 15 years?

15 year old phone with a SIM card:


Recent phone with a SIM card:


Yup, looks like design has been held back thanks to the SIM card.

No, the SIM Card * (in it's current form) is not an innovation in my eyes. It's whole purpose could be easily generated through software to provide a more sophisticated, but user friendly application.

Hmm, what's more user friendly. Swapping a card between two phones which doesn't even take a minute. Or, installing software/drivers on your computer, then plugging your phone into a computer, then opening said software, then doing whatever's required in said software to update your phone.

Even my parents who are computer illiterate can swap a SIM card between two phones.

20 years from now people will be laughing at the notion of us sticking little pieces of cardboard into the side of our phones to make them work. Frankly, it's ridiculous, archaic and not fit for the 21st century.

I think in 20 years, we'll still be using SIM cards and laughing at your post.

However, good luck explaining that to an American, where their chained into 2-year contracts and a single carrier from birth to death.

I've had 3 of the 4 major US carriers thank you very much. Totally switching to #4 (Verizon) when the LTE iPhone comes out, too.

...with a catch

Such as...?

Come on, don't leave us hanging.

For those asking what and why, etc.: The reason you would want this is twofold.

1. The vast majority of people don't juggle or ever eject their SIMs, but when it's necessary (emergency device replacement, for example), it's nice to have a reasonable way to access it. If the entire device is destroyed and the SIM is part of the logic board, it's definitely lost.
2. It allows people who never would need to eject their SIM, and even people who WOULD need to eject it, to have a smaller footprint, which leaves that tiny bit of room for things like better chips or a little more battery. This benefits everyone.

For the SIM-juggling people who complain about it being incredibly small and hard not to lose, that's a sad story. HOWEVER, it's such a marginal situation that it's really not fair to the 99.9% of people on the planet who, frankly, shouldn't do without the benefits because you feel a need to constantly change your SIM while lacking manual dexterity and/or good memory to deal with it.

You have the option of buying a full price unlocked phone from a retailer and a pay as you go SIM from any GSM (by GSM, I mean GSM/UMTS/HSPA/LTE - technologies of the same family that use SIMs) carrier and you won't be locked in any contract. If you don't like your carrier, buy a SIM from another one and put it in your phone.

That's harder to do on SIM-less CDMA carriers where you have to buy a phone from them. They might let you pay full price and sign up without a contract. I'm not sure. But you have to buy the phone from them, you don't get to choose from the vast selection of unlocked GSM phones out there and your phone can't usually be used on another CDMA carrier.

It's even harder to pull off in the US where 2 of the 4 major carriers are CDMA and the other two GSM carriers don't even use the same frequencies for 3G. But in Europe, it's more practical. Plus people in the US like getting phones for dirt cheap in exchange for a two year contract.


The SIM in most phones is underneath the battery cover. In the Phone, it's hidden away inside a tray. Put a bumper or case on your phone and you won't even see the tray. What phone are you using where the SIM is an external eyesore?


15 year old phone with a SIM card:


Recent phone with a SIM card:


Yup, looks like design has been held back thanks to the SIM card.



Hmm, what's more user friendly. Swapping a card between two phones which doesn't even take a minute. Or, installing software/drivers on your computer, then plugging your phone into a computer, then opening said software, then doing whatever's required in said software to update your phone.

Even my parents who are computer illiterate can swap a SIM card between two phones.


I think in 20 years, we'll still be using SIM cards and laughing at your post.

If we are using SIM cards in 20 years it will be because they are implanted into our brains.

No, the SIM Card * (in it's current form) is not an innovation in my eyes. It's whole purpose could be easily generated through software to provide a more sophisticated, but user friendly application.

20 years from now people will be laughing at the notion of us sticking little pieces of cardboard into the side of our phones to make them work. Frankly, it's ridiculous, archaic and not fit for the 21st century.

Not to mention that the entire one useful function is has (moving phone book, etc. over to a new phone) won't mean squat if your old card don't fit in your new phone. WTF cares from a user standpoint at THAT point? You might as well just use your computer to transfer the information. All I'm seeing here with this proposal (and with Apple considering a smaller dock port) is to make ALL prior equipment and cards INVALID and thus you have start over from scratch with all prior stuff incompatible with the newer stuff (especially irritating on the dock equipment connector stuff where at the VERY least you'd need to buy an adapter...Apple LOVES adapters. Users hate them (if you lose them, you're screwed; pony up another $20-90).