Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
I really don't get the drive for a smaller sim packaging.
........
Or better still a embedded sim for the life of the phone.

What am I missing guys?

That the operators have basically said they would walk away if the SIM was embedded and they lost control (that they have over the current SIM)
 
New dock connector is physically stronger than the old one with contacts sheltered inside a solid metal body. No need for headphone jack for structural reasons.

It appears the new connector could be MagSafe as the bulk of the ferrous body is near the plastic shell with the tip mostly hollow, filled with plastic and the few contacts. The entrance hole on new iPhone seems to have an unusual shape, possibly wrapping magnet around it, sucking the ferrous part of the connector in.

We've seen 8 contact each side plus metal body which may or may not serve as ground - likely not. As there does not appear to be any keying feature that would prevent users from inserting in either orientation, it may be that both sides carry the same 8 signals, but perhaps there is a way for the iDevice to tell which way it's plugged in to re-map the signals which would allow for 16 signals total.

Analog audio and video is gone from the dock. So is UART serial interface. If necessary, the relocated headphone jack offers stereo output, mono input and serial communication to build a simple accessories.

New dock connector must support USB 2.0 and Thunderbolt / DisplayPort. This covers audio/video I/O with as few pins as possible. And I can't see what else would be missing once we have that. Still, 8 might prove to be too few unless Apple plans to reconfigure pins on the fly based on which cable is connected.
 
Every time I see an internal iPhone component on this site: "...wtf is that flat plastic snake doing on my Apple rumors website?"
 
Not true at all. It could just be there to add Extra support for the iphone sitting on the dock... Think about it. How could an adapter on a small connector like that lock on perfectly?

That was #3 on the list. Just mechanical support.
 
That the operators have basically said they would walk away if the SIM was embedded and they lost control (that they have over the current SIM)

Ok so put aside the embedded, why the new format for saving something in the order of maybe 20mm3?

I've already seen a tripple die cut-out sim which implies that the connections are backward compatible, but does the new format support new features?
 
We could also see a 30pin to 9 pin connector adapter that plugs into the headphone jack for more stability, this would be compatible with it.

Hm, personaly I'd be worried a bit to a) damage the inside of the Device with the "headphonejack" when tilting the device and/or b) breaking of the plug
 
While the iPhone 5 dock connector pictured there looks like it could be realistic. the iPad mini one looks odd. It's home button is completely different to the way anything in there current product line works and the headphone jack looks too close to the middle of the unit. But who knows.
:)
 
While the iPhone 5 dock connector pictured there looks like it could be realistic. the iPad mini one looks odd. It's home button is completely different to the way anything in there current product line works and the headphone jack looks too close to the middle of the unit. But who knows.
:)

Not sure why they would want to create multiple dock connector adapters if they could avoid it by simply creating a consistent design for all devices. One adaptor to rule them all.
 
Come on...

All this hype over an iPad mini, have you ever thought this could be due to Apple making more room for addtional hardware?

It's rather possible don't you think? After all Apple have been concentrating on getting every bit of space in the new iphone as possible, this is probably the same case with the new "new"iPad, right?

:D
 
Ok so put aside the embedded, why the new format for saving something in the order of maybe 20mm3?

I've already seen a tripple die cut-out sim which implies that the connections are backward compatible, but does the new format support new features?

Don't just think about the sim card... 20mm3 may not be a lot on its own, but for example if that allows the logic board to be 1mm further over, it allows probably 300mm3 for battery

I'm not saying that is the case here, I am trying to illustrate an example... My point is, look at the information not in isolation, but in what it may enable!
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.