Last year, it became apparent that Apple was planning to introduce a new SIM card, even tinier than the microSIMs it uses in the iPhone 4S and iPad. But now Apple is trying to push the idea through regulators — and its competitors are having none of it.
The Financial Times reports that RIM, Motorola and Nokia aren’t happy with Apple’s innovation. In fact, it’s actually the case that all three have their own ideas for a future, smaller SIM — they’re just scared that Apple is going to end up with patents for the design which they’ll have to end up licensing. According to the FT’s sources, Apple’s version of the nanoSIM would call for a “drawer” to protect it — much like the designs already featured in the iPhone and iPad.
The new nano SIM designs are about a third smaller than the microSIM and, obviously, making the SIM smaller allows modest decreases in device size. It seems, however, that Europe’s standards body, ETSI, is on the side of Apple’s competitors for now, so the journey to a smaller SIM future may not be a smooth one. [Financial Times via Engadget]
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