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Does iPhone 5 SIM Card Tray Nix New iPhone 5 Design?

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iPhone 5 parts are starting to leak out from suppliers and third-party resellers, including a part that SW-BOX.com claims is the iPhone 5 SIM card tray.

The leaked iPhone 5 SIM card tray, spotted by CydiaBlog, follows the iPhone 5 home button leak from parts supplier TVC-Mall, and is part of a deluge of leaked components we expect to see up until the iPhone 5 release date.

The reason this iPhone 5 leak is of interest is because the iPhone 5 SIM Card tray is almost exactly like the iPhone 4S SIM card tray, leading some to believe that the iPhone 5 will stick with the flat sides found on the iPhone 4S.

iPhone 5 SIM card tray

Claimed iPhone 5 SIM card tray.

Why is this important? Small parts like this seem negligible, especially as unconfirmed leaks, but they offer a look into what the new iPhone might look like. Due to Apple’s tight security it is unlikely that we will see what the iPhone 5 looks like before it is released, but parts like this help paint a picture of the iPhone 5.

Read: iPhone 5 Release Date and Rumor Roundup.

The SIM card tray for the iPhone 4S has a flat edge because the phone has flat sides. If the iPhone 5 SIM card tray is the real deal it may mean that Apple is not using a teardrop shape or curved edged on the iPhone 5, opting for the flat edges found on the past two iPhone models.

If the iPhone 5 were to adopt the curved edges and aluminum back of the iPad, we would expect to see a SIM card tray similar to the new iPad. The new iPad’s SIM card tray features an angled edge to match the curves found on the iPad.

Note the curve on the iPad 3rd generation SIM card tray.

Note the curve on the iPad 3rd generation SIM card tray.

At this point the SIM card tray that SW-BOX claims is for the iPhone 5 is unsubstantiated. It is possible that this is the SIM card tray for the new iPhone, but it could just as well be a SIM card tray for the iPhone 4S.

Apple is pushing for a new nano-SIM format, but it is not expected to be approved in time for the iPhone 5, especially without the support of other hardware manufacturers.

There are reports that Apple wants to become a MVNO, or wireless carrier, cutting out Verizon and AT&T by providing service and charging iTunes accounts, but there is no additional confirmation that Tim Cook is taking Apple in this direction.

Read: 11 iOS 6 Features We Want on the iPhone 5.

We expect Apple to announce the iPhone 5 release date in the October timeframe, after the introduction of iOS 6 at WWDC 2012 in June. We expect the new iPhone 5 will have 4G LTE and possibly a new look, which is why this SIM card tray is under scrutiny.

An iPhone 5 with curves like those shown below would need a newly designed SIM card tray. Check out more photos of this beautiful iPhone 5 concept.

iPhone 5 Design

One concept of what the iPhone 5 may look like, that doesn't match the SIM card Tray.

As we saw in 2011, leaked parts and designs aren’t always legit, especially Apple rumors and leaked parts. Up until days before the iPhone 4S announcement many still believed that Apple would unveil a slimmer, teardrop shaped iPhone 5.

Sources claim that Apple was working on the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4S at the same time, and it is likely that Apple is working through several iterations of the iPhone at any given time.

Don’t give up hope for a new design for the iPhone 5 yet.

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