Even though the release of the Apple iPhone 5 is still some months away, with the possibility of a summer launch, rumors still flood in with just about every possibility mentioned. We’ve heard talk of a new design, a larger screen and even waterproofing but what many people really want to know about is whether the iPhone 5 will have 4G LTE connectivity.
One suggestion that LTE support could be on the way, although of course this is not proof, comes from news of a completely brand-new batch of micro-SIM cards headed to AT&T. That may not sound very revealing but apparently these are LTE-enabled, which makes the story a whole lot more intriguing. By itself of course this doesn’t confirm an LTE iPhone 5 but this is interesting stuff nonetheless
An article on Phone Arena tells how an anonymous tipster gave the site the news on the new micro-SIM cards and of course a possibility could be that they are intended for the Nokia Lumia 900 which we already know will be released on AT&T and is an LTE handset. Apart from the Lumia 900 though, unless Apple goes straight to using nano-SIM cards on the iPhone 5, the iPhone 5 seems to be the most likely candidate for these LTE-enabled micro-SIM cards. The implication then, although really sheer conjecture at this point, is that this whole new batch of micro-SIM cards could well be for iPhone 5 demand when the smartphone finally arrives.
This may seem a stretch too far but Phone Arena also points out that Morgan Stanley analysts already believe that the next iPhone will be equipped with an LTE radio. That said, the iPhone 5 release is still some way off and the Nokia Lumia 900 is looking set for a release on March 18th so maybe these micro-SIM cards really are intended mainly for that? A separate article here also speculates on this and makes the alternative suggestion that the LTE-enabled micro-SIM cards could be for the iPad 3, rumored to be coming in March and which could also feature LTE. Apparently an AT&T spokesman has also pointed out that the Pantech Breeze and Element also currently use LTE-enabled micro-SIM cards.
One thing we do know for sure is that whether the iPhone 5 has LTE connectivity or not it is still bound to be a huge success, although LTE would be a much-desired addition for many consumers. We’re interested to hear your thoughts on this. Is LTE connectivity for the iPhone 5 a dealbreaker for you? What do you most want to see featured on the next iPhone? Let us have your comments on this.
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