iPhone 5 will use nano-SIM

The iPhone 5 will be the first mobile handset to use the new nano-SIM design and European networks are already stocking-up

The iPhone 5 will be launched soon and it’ll be the first device to use the new nano-SIM card design, which is even smaller than micro-SIMs. 
A report from the Financial Times claims carrier networks in Europe are now stocking up on nano-SIMs in anticipation of the iPhone 5 release. 
The nano-SIM design was recently approved as new standard by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) after reaching an agreement with major manufacturers. 
There was some reasonably well-publicised competition between Apple and a collective of Motorola, RIM and Nokia, each with different proposals for the new nano-SIM design, but after prompting from ETSI the group eventually reached a consensus. 
The new cards are 40 per cent smaller than existing micro-SIMs, which are themselves still by no means ubiquitous – there are still plenty of handsets on the market using conventional, full-size SIM cards. Micro-SIMs first appeared with the iPad in 2010 and now several premium smartphone models use them, including the HTC One X and the Nokia Lumia 800. 
The new design measures 12.3mm long by 8.8mm wide and there’s now very little excess material surrounding the metal chip component. ETSI’s announcement assured that the new SIM could be ‘‘packaged and distributed in a way that is backwards compatible with existing SIM card designs.’ 
The smaller form factor of micro-SIMs and nano-SIMs enables manufacturers to come up with thinner, unibody phone designs, although current rumour surrounding the iPhone 5 suggests it’ll feature an aluminium back panel.

Do The New iPhone Prototypes Have NFC?

Recently Apple announced Passbook, a new mobile wallet that will debut in iOS. Its existence prompted speculation that future iPhones will include NFC — and now 9to5mac is reporting that new iPhone prototypes feature the technology.

9to5mac has previously analysed data from two new prototype iPhones, codenamed N41AP and N42AP. But their latest investigation reveals that those same prototypes appear to have Near Field Communication (NFC) controllers directly connected to the power management unit (PMU).

Among the massive speculation about what the next iPhone will look like, the small inclusion of NFC perhaps seems trivial. But if the rumor turns out to be correct, it will see Apple poisitoning itself in direct competition with Google Wallet and another similar service unveiled by Microsoft last week.

If Apple follows its usual release patterns, then we won’t see an actual iPhone 5 until October. Will it feature NFC? Maybe, maybe not. But you can be sure that, if it does, Apple’s take on mobile payment could be enough to force the concept into the mainstream. [9to5mac]