A Â 2012 patent application [1] from Apple suggests the company may be working on an improved SIM card tray design that uses a magnetic release mechanism instead of the traditional push with a pin design.
Besides being easier to open and close, the magnetic SIM card tray described in this patent would take up less space within a device as it would no longer need a bulky ejector mechanism. A smaller SIM card slot would open the door to an even slimmer iPhone or iPad  in the future. This magnetic tray would also cut down on dirt and grime inside a device as a magnetic lock would not need a hole for a pin to fit into for removal.
“Such an ejector mechanism often takes up valuable real estate within the housing of the device. Moreover, a portion of such an ejector mechanism often requires a user to interact with the ejector mechanism through an opening in the housing that may allow debris to enter the housing and impair the function of the device.â€
The patent was filed in April 2012 and was published on October 10, 2013. Â As is the case with most patents, the technology described within the application may or may not make its way into devices. In this case, though, Apple has dabbled with SIM card technology in a heated battle with Motorola and RIM over smartphone SIM card standards.
[Via AppleInsider [2] Â and Free Patents Online [3] ]
Links
- ^ 2012 patent application (www.freepatentsonline.com)
- ^ AppleInsider (appleinsider.com)
- ^ Free Patents Online (www.freepatentsonline.com)
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