Learn about the latest SIM technology standard, the Integrated Subscriber Identification Module, or iSIM, and when Apple might release an iPhone with one.
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Nano SIM
Alleged golden and gray iPhone 5S Nano SIM trays
Apple's iPhone 5 is now almost seven months old so fans are expectedly setting their sights on a next-gen model, the iPhone 5S. And as we're heading toward summer, new evidence indicates Apple is now lining up its Asian suppliers to source parts ahead of the actual manufacturing phase.
This could explain why we're increasingly seeing supposedly genuine parts cropping up all over Asia, such as this Home buttons and vibrator motors. Today's leak by Japanese parts shop Moumantai is thought to represent a SIM tray for the iPhone 5S.
It's exactly the same in shape and size to the Nano SIM trays used on the current iPhone 5, with one exception: the leaked ones are in gray and gold colors. This matches up nicely with reports of a colorized iPhone 5S, mostly sourced from analyst reports and supply chain people...
Apple wins key SIM connector patent related to iOS gadgets, Macs – even TVs
The United States Patent & Trademark Office on Christmas Day granted Apple a key patent detailing a SIM tray solution for mobile products which incorporates connectors that "may allow SIM cards to be easily removed and replaced". The invention - which also may be resistant to damage by an improper insertion of a SIM card and may provide reliable mechanical performance - is viewed as a strategically important patent grant "in light of the battle between Nokia and Apple over the design of future miniature SIM cards for mobile devices", explains the PatentlyApple blog that tracks Apple's trademark and patent filings...
Some T-Mobile stores receiving Nano SIM cards for iPhone 5
Great news for folks who have managed to get their hands on an unlocked iPhone 5 and are looking to start up T-Mobile service with the handset. Reports are coming in this weekend that some of the carrier's retail stores have started receiving shipments of iPhone 5-compatible Nano SIM cards...
How to use a Nano SIM in the iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S
If you just purchased an iPhone 5, then you know first hand how much smaller the new Nano SIM is when compared to the already diminutive Micro SIM it replaces.
But what if you want to use the new Nano SIM in an older phone, like the iPhone 4, or the iPhone 4S? Obviously you can't just stick it in there.
Your best option is to purchase an adapter that can be cheaply had on Amazon for $1.99. That's exactly what I did, and here's the video to prove it.
The Verizon iPhone 5 is GSM unlocked, tested with AT&T
I can confirm that the Verizon iPhone 5 is indeed GSM unlocked. Even though I bought an iPhone 5 from Verizon under contract, I was able to cut down my AT&T Micro SIM, and use it in my Verizon iPhone 5 to pick up an AT&T signal. By doing so, I was able to hop onto AT&T's HPSA+ network, or "4G" as they so ridiculously name it.
AT&T's so-called 4G speeds are nothing like true LTE speeds, but they are a bit better than typical 3G speeds. But the big news here isn't about speed. The big news here is that we have confirmed that you can use a Verizon iPhone 5 on AT&T or T-Mobile, freely, even if you're a brand new customer under contract.
One of the first Nano SIM card cutters surface for the iPhone 5
Skeptical about trying to create your own Nano SIM without a SIM cutter? Would you like a more structured way of creating a Nano SIM from a larger SIM spec?
The folks over at YoYoBase claim to have the solution, with one of the first available iPhone 5 SIM card cutters.
How I converted my Micro SIM into a Nano SIM
Before I get this party started, I just want to say that no, I don't have an iPhone 5 to absolutely guarantee it'll work in the device, but all that's really involved is some pretty basic math.
In this tutorial, I'll show you how I cut and shaved my Micro SIM down to Nano SIM sized specifications. It's not a 100% 1:1 ratio, but the size is very comparable to what you will find in an official Nano SIM. For that reason I'm feeling pretty confident that it will work with my iPhone 5 next Friday.
Take a look inside for the step-by-step video walkthrough that shows how I converted my Micro SIM card to a Nano sized SIM card.
Vodafone too has Nano SIMs in stock ahead of tomorrow’s iPhone 5 launch
Right on time, Vodafone in Germany appears to be stockpiling the new 40 percent smaller Nano SIM cards, a German publication reveals. The carrier is one of Apple's major iPhone distributors throughout Europe and in the United States, where UK's multinational mobile network operator has a joint venture with the US telco Verizon Communications, called Verizon Wireless (Vodafone has a 45 percent ownership of the joint venture). Apple's next iPhone is expected to file as the first phone to feature the recently ratified Nano SIM standard which allows for the creation of thinner and smaller mobile devices...
Conveniently, T-Mobile begins distributing Nano SIMs to retailers
With just eight days left until next Wednesday's iPhone 5 unveiling, Deutsche Telekom-owned T-Mobile telco has begun distributing Nano SIMs to retailers. As you know, the forty percent smaller SIM card standard proposed by Apple has been ratified by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute back in June.
A month later, news reports indicated that European carriers had begun stockpiling supplies and testing Nano SIMs in partnership with Apple, ahead of the iPhone 5 launch.
Since then, a Nano SIM tray said to belong to the next iPhone has been leaked in both images and on video. Apple's phone should become the first mobile device to utilize the new standard, helping mainstream the technology much in the same way the iPhone 4 popularized the Micro SIM standard...
Video comparison of the iPhone 5 Nano SIM tray and buttons to the iPhone 4S
You've by now seen gorgeous iPhone 5 renders based on a bunch of parts (that continue to leak out of Asia like there's no tomorrow), like a miniaturized Nano SIM tray and a slightly smaller home button.
Repair firm SmartPhone Medic took it all together and created a video that aims to compare the new Nano SIM tray to the Micro SIM standard found on the iPhone 4/4S.
It also puts other purported parts in direct comparison to their iPhone 4S counterparts, namely the volume buttons, the mute switch and the sleep/wake button...