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Photos of Likely 802.11ac 'Gigabit Wi-Fi' Card From Next-Generation iMac Surface

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MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Tonymacx86 points (via 9to5Mac) to recently discovered photos of a Broadcom BCM94360CD Wi-Fi/Bluetooth card that supports the 802.11ac "Gigabit Wi-Fi" standard rumored to be coming to Apple's Mac lineup later this year. While the photos were posted to Chinese site VR-Zone in early March, they are only just now being noticed by those following Apple rumors.

bcm94360_1.jpg
While the reports suggest that the new card is intended for the next-generation MacBook Pro or MacBook Air models rumored for launch at next month's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), a commenter on the Tonymacx86 discussion thread points out that the card is actually nearly identical in size, shape, and layout to the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth card found in the current iMac.

bcm94360_2.jpg
The BCM94360CD card, which is very likely a custom design for Apple, contains Broadcom's BCM4360 802.11ac transceiver chip, offering support for the in-process Wi-Fi standard that allows for triple the speeds of the current 802.11n standard. An apparent date code of "1240" on the part suggests that it was manufactured in early October 2012, several months before Apple was reported to have struck a deal with Broadcom to bring 802.11ac support to its 2013 Macs.

imac_2012_wifi_card.jpg
Wi-Fi/Bluetooth card from Late 2012 iMac (Source: iFixit)​

Article Link: Photos of Likely 802.11ac 'Gigabit Wi-Fi' Card From Next-Generation iMac Surface
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2013/05/21/photos-of-likely-802-11ac-gigabit-wi-fi-card-from-next-generation-imac-surface/
JaySoul

JaySoul

macrumors 68030
Jan 30, 2008
2,629
2,865
Will speeds ever become so fast that we would actually be able to see things before they happen?
 
jclardy

jclardy

macrumors 601
Oct 6, 2008
4,152
4,353
Well this will be nice. Just need an updated Airport and notebook lines.
 
Dwalls90

Dwalls90

macrumors 603
Feb 5, 2009
5,427
4,399
Useless to most. You'll never see real world usage above 802.11n, and hard drives need to move to solid state before this is really taken advantage of.
 
T

tann

macrumors 68000
Apr 15, 2010
1,944
813
UK
It would be good if they managed to get 802.11ac into every new device this year.

Keep it consistant and what not.
 
M

midwesthawkeye

macrumors newbie
May 21, 2013
17
64
iMac Surface??

The capitalization of the word "Surface" in the headline is confusing. It makes it look like "iMac Surface" is a product name.
 
M

mdorais

macrumors regular
Apr 28, 2008
153
100
I really hope the new MacBook Pros have 802.11ac. This would mean Airport refreshes soon! Still on 802.11g here...
 
KylePowers

KylePowers

macrumors 68000
Mar 5, 2011
1,688
197
Huh. Didn't think 802.11ac was getting standardized until the end of this year or the beginning of next year. Interesting, interesting indeed.
 
MrNomNoms

MrNomNoms

macrumors 65816
Jan 25, 2011
1,156
294
Wellington, New Zealand
Could we please stop it with the 802.11 AC hype because quite frankly you'd swear that people here actually think they'll reach said speeds in normal conditions. Check out the following article on 802.11 AC:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11ac

I'd sooner an adoption of a lower frequency that provides better coverage than having the sort of showing off of technology that rarely meets the hype on which the marketing department seems to be hell bent on pushing.
 
Corrode

Corrode

macrumors 65816
Dec 26, 2008
1,003
2,297
Calgary, AB
quagmire said:
Stop the presses, a leaked part is for a Mac and not an iOS device? :eek:
Click to expand...

Wow, people really like to hate on Gigabit Wifi news around here. I'm really excited for the new standard as it will make wireless backups so much easier for large files.

It doesn't take much to saturate an N network when doing a file transfer. Even with a 5400 rpm drive.
 
J

Jsameds

Suspended
Apr 22, 2008
3,525
7,987
JaySoul said:
Will speeds ever become so fast that we would actually be able to see things before they happen?
Click to expand...

I have one of these networks. I sent a picture of my missus and her friend laughing about being crapped on by a bird.

When I opened the picture on the computer I sent it to I got this:



moment_before_something_bad_happens_15.jpg
 
T

thepowerofnone

macrumors member
Apr 10, 2011
97
7
Dwalls90 said:
Useless to most. You'll never see real world usage above 802.11n, and hard drives need to move to solid state before this is really taken advantage of.
Click to expand...

This isn't useless at all: granted 802.11ac provides speeds greatly in excess of most people's or computer's requirements/needs but that's not the only thing it has going for it. It brings with it beaming, so your router can locate your laptop in space and pick a frequency which provides you with the least interference from outside sources and the most coherent signal. Forget speed - 802.11ac is all about the range. When your list of WiFi signals extends most of the length of your screen and your walls are thick beaming is unbelievably useful at providing a reliable signal.
 
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