The iPhone 5 is a very noticeable 18% slimmer than the 4S. In order to reduce thickness, Apple had to completely overhaul previously used technology – like replacing the 30-pin connector with the new Lightning connector – or further reduce size of existing components, something you’ll notice when you realize that your shiny new iPhone doesn’t have enough room for your standard SIM or Micro SIM card; the iPhone 5 uses an even smaller Nano SIM card.
The launch of the next iPhone is almost upon us, and in order to be completely ready for the sixth-generation iPhone device, carriers are beginning to see shipments of the Nano-SIM long-expected to be a requirement for using the device. Apple was among the first to deploy the Micro-SIM with the iPhone 4 back in 2010, and in order to save even more space within the smartphone's interior, the Nano-SIM does away with essentially all unnecessary plastic.
Earlier on this week, we learned European carriers were stockpiling nano-SIM cards in anticipation for the launch of the next-generation iPhone. For those who missed the previous report, the nano-SIM removes all needless plastic from the micro-SIM, saving those precious extra millimeters within a mobile device for more important hardware.
Following the news surrounding Apple's proposed nano-SIM format - which is essentially a mico-SIM stripped of all unnecessary "bevel" plastic - it appears that European mobile carriers are preparing for the launch of the next-generation iPhone by stockpiling on nano-SIMs. Given that the standard was proposed by Apple (while they aren't named exactly, it's evident that the approved design is at least heavily based on their proposal) - and subsequently approved by ETSI (the European Telecommunications Standards Institute) - it's fairly safe to assume that they will be using it in their next-generation iPhone.
