I don't think there was a technical hurdle, I think Apple didn't want to pay Qualcomm to do it. IIRC, Qualcomm charges manufacturers a certain percentage of the device's value as a licensing fee.
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Apple 'Investigating' Macs With Cellular Connectivity
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Cellular enabled notebooks have been available for the past 10-20 years. It's just not popular because consumers rarely need a third line (after their phone and tablet).
the personal hotspot on an iPhone completely sucks compared to an android. sad to say, the iPhone will drop the hotspot for no reason while my android stays connected forever. this has been across the last 4 or so iPhones I've had. it's just terrible.
If a person has an iPhone, why pay the carrier $20-$30 a month for a second line? Just tether to the iPhone and it works as well as any built-in modem. For an iPad it probably makes sense, but not for a laptop when other connections options exist. Even with owning an iPad when I want to connect the iPad to the internet, I still use my iPhone. It is just as convenient and I do not want to pay the carriers any more than I have to pay. My $30.00 a month unlimited plan with tethering works just fine.
That has not been my experience. I have been able to connect for several hours with no issues. I don't do it often, mostly in the RV, but the connection has been solid.
I was just thinking the same thing, this seems to come up every 5 years.
The bigger question is what isn't Apple investigating at this point...
Wow, PC laptops have had this for 20+ years.
What’s the point? Not trying to be snarky, but in a world where everyone has a phone that can tether why would you need a dedicated cellular service for your laptop?
Agreed. I mean if it's possible to have the Mac on the exact same plan as my cellphone, OK why not, it would save me a step.
But AFAIK for an iPad or even Apple Watch on the Cellular network it adds an additional cost per month, which I wouldn't want to pay. I already have 100 GB on my iPhone and I use maybe 10 GB/month...
Macs with 5G connectivity have been rumored for several years, and way back in 2008, Apple considered adding a modem chip to the MacBook Air. Then-CEO Steve Jobs said that Apple decided not to because the modem chip would take up too much room in the case and would lock customers to a specific carrier, but chip technology has come a long way since then.
Article Link: Apple 'Investigating' Macs With Cellular Connectivity
Chip size couldn't be an issue back in 2008. The networks were far from ready. The actual available network coverage lacked, limited bandwidth (2G/3G then), data caps and most of all... data plan costs were just too high for realistic Mac use. Like a few other early adopters I've tried it then. Really not worth it. Only in the last couple of years mobile internet prices have lowered enough that it can compete with fixed DSL in most areas.
About time. 5G is practically for free now. Tethering to an iPhone is such a chore...
More than just an MBA...
www.macrumors.com
Photos of a Prototype MacBook Pro with Integrated 3G Cellular Modem
One of the most requested features for Apple's MacBook Pro line has been for the integration of some sort of built-in 3G cellular data to allow...
www.macrumors.com
Have fun paying $500/month to your cell carrier.
Within a month of launch, All US cell carriers will report over 100TB of data being used on their network. Between mobile phones and Mac owners uploading/downloading 500GB/per day.
Laptops should not now nor ever have cellular connection
Within a month of launch, All US cell carriers will report over 100TB of data being used on their network. Between mobile phones and Mac owners uploading/downloading 500GB/per day.
Laptops should not now nor ever have cellular connection
PC laptop users don’t go though TB of data per month.
How much data do PC laptop users go through in a month?
Holy cow. I could request a second sim card for my plan and use unlimited data on a second device for $2.5 per month. Internet is so overpriced in the US.
Roughly 90% of the laptops with cellular are used for business professional use.
From the
Surface Pro 11
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 12)
HP EliteBook 1040 G11
Dell Latitude 7450 2-in-1
& Panasonic Toughbook 55 Mk3
These laptops are not creator laptops. for users who do not want to be tethered to WiFi and want to be anywhere. Excel, conference call, occasional video here and there.
These users would use roughly the same amount of data per month as a the average cel phone user. (Approximately 100GB - 300GB/per month).
I wonder how much data gamers use now that so many games require online connection and are so big?
Probably go through more. That why Windows when it detects a cellular network tethered, it will go to metered data consumption mode.
Apple even prototyped a cellular MacBook Pro all the way back in 2007.
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I had suggested that Apple will develop a radio modem chip that combines 3GPP LTE, 3GPP NR 5G, WiFi 7, Bluetooth 6 and UWB into one chip. That one chip, which could be available by 2026, could end up in certain MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models.
Macs should have cellular connectivity. Cellular networks are typically much faster than what's available for home internet plans. MacBooks are portable, they should have cellular connectivity.