The common SIM card (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) has confirmed the winning design of the fourth form factor of the SIM card is the design submitted by Apple for the Nano-SIM. Some 40% smaller than the relatively new Micro-SIM standard, there has been a lot of debate around this new form factor.
The interesting part for me is this. After all the negotiations, proposed design compromises, and the late idea of an additional notch to help ejector mechanisms, ETSI went with Apple's submitted design with no alterations.
There are limitations to the accepted design, pointed out by the joint rival pitch from Nokia, RIM, and Motorola. For example the Nano-SIM can be pushed into the current Micro-SIM sized space with the potential to be jammed in the space - but isn't that the case now between a Micro-SIM and a regular SIM?
For an item of consumer technology, I think this was the smartest decision. Any design is a compromise, but the positives in the Nano-SIM design outweigh the negatives. The pin layout is similar to the existing cards, and a physical adaptor will allow the Nano-SIM to slot into a larger micro or regular SIM slot. Not everyone updates their phone with the latest technology, so although the size is different, carriers will likely find it far easier to support the Nano standard, as opposed to Apple's previous idea of a virtual software-based SIM card.
Now, can someone explain why we need the Nano-SIM?
