Apple have not yet issued a release date for the iPhone 5 or iPad 3 and the technical specs for both devices are still under wraps, however it looks like some information on the new devices is slipping through the top-secret net of Apple! Apparently the iPhone 5 may well be released as soon as 2012 and that both it and the iPad 3 will support the LTE (Long Term Evolution) standard. The reason this is speculated is because AT&T stores have recently received shipments of the 4G LTE Micro-SIM cards, presumably in readiness for the new devices hitting the market.
The reason that this link can be made is because the 4G LTE Micro SIM cards are new technology designed to offer high speed LTE connections, including the high speed connection provided by AT&T in certain regions. It is expected that LTE will be introduced into the UK very soon as O2 have already begun trains across the country. It may only be in cities such as London, Manchester and Birmingham to start with, but others will soon follow.
LTE is able to offer very high speeds, but in order to benefit from the system a mobile phone needs to have a LTE sim card. At the moment neither the iPhone or the iPad will accept a compatible card and so cannot benefit from the technology. The idea is that the next versions will have the capability to accept these micro sim cards. So is it a concidence that this large shipment of cards is just being taken by AT&T?! who knows! Time will tell.
In all honesty the iPhone and iPad aren’t the only devices that will be using these new micro sim cards, as handsets such as the Nokia Lumia 900 may well also use them. Although since Nokia swapped their operating system for Windows rather than Android, their populuarity and share prices have both significantly reduces. As a result the industry isn’t particularly fussed about providing new sim cards for that manufacturer, so chances are they are intended for Apple products.
Once these new micro SIMs have been released, the next big question will be if they are only to be offered on pay monthly contracts with a handset or if they will also be available with SIM only deals. Many people will want the benefit of the new SIM card but without the expence of an expensive monthly repayment, as a result many people will be looking to get a SIM only contract and pocket the difference!
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