Earlier this week it was rumored that European carriers are busy ordering nano-SIM cards in anticipation of the new iPhone's arrival, and now another report claims that Apple will be making the move to nano with its next handset. According to BGR, "multiple carrier sources" have said that Apple is giving operators nano-SIM adapters, which allows the carriers to test nano-SIMs on their networks with regular devices. AT&T is said to be one of the carriers that's currently testing nano-SIMs.
It's also worth noting that during the Verizon Q2 2012 earnings call this morning, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo may have hinted at the next iPhone's release. In response to a question on what Shammo thought might have caused customers to refrain from upgrading to a new device in the quarter, the exec said "of course there's always that, uh, rumor mill out there with a new phone coming out there in the fourth quarter, so people may be waiting." Shammo didn't specifically mention the iPhone, but with previous rumors pointing toward an October debut, there's a chance that Apple's handset is what he was hinting at.
The nano-SIM form factor was standardized by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) earlier this year and measures 40 percent smaller than a micro-SIM. Considering that we've also heard that Apple may be planning to move to a smaller dock connector with the new iPhone in order to help make room for other components inside the phone, it certainly seems possible that the Cupertino firm may opt to use a nano-SIM in its new handset for further space savings. With rumors of an October launch, which is when the iPhone 4S was released last year, it may only be a few more months before iOS fans begin using smaller, even-easier-to-lose SIM cards.
