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Apple eventually plans to build its own custom modem into cellular MacBook models that could arrive in 2028 at the earliest, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Apple-WWDC23-MacBook-Air-15-in-color-lineup-230605.jpg

Apple has reportedly been working on its own modem since 2018, as it seeks to move away from Qualcomm's component currently used in iPhones. The timeframe for launching the modem has slipped several times and is now expected to be ready around 2026, and Gurman now hears that Apple has plans for the chip appearing in other Apple devices further down the line.

Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says that Apple's custom technology aspirations include integrating an in-house modem into its system-on-a-chip (SoC), which would eventually see the launch of MacBooks with built-in cellular connectivity.

Gurman says Apple will "probably need two or three additional years to get that chip inside cellular versions of the Apple Watch and iPad – and the Mac, once the part is integrated into the company's system-on-a-chip."

Apple has explored the possibility of developing MacBooks with cellular connectivity in the past. Indeed, the company reportedly considered launching a MacBook Air with 3G connectivity, but former CEO Steve Jobs said in 2008 that Apple decided against it, since it would take up too much room in the case. An integrated SoC would solve that problem.

Gurman's latest newsletter also said some of Apple's other ongoing in-house chip projects include camera sensors, batteries, a combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip that will eventually replace parts from Broadcom, Micro-LED displays for Apple devices, and a non-invasive glucose monitoring system.

Article Link: Apple Plans to Equip MacBooks With In-House Cellular Modems
 
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phill85

macrumors regular
Jul 19, 2010
209
1,183
Hallelujah! Finally something exciting in the Mac Laptop space. No, I don’t need an 8000$ M4 Ultra to use MS Word… but I would love to not need WiFi. It would actually bring it up to par with my M1 iPad Pro. FINALLY
 

foobarbaz

macrumors 6502a
Nov 29, 2007
827
1,705
Is it cost, space or power requirements?
It's probably the licensing cost. Apple complained that Qualcomm charges a percentage of the device price. If they complain about that on the iPhone, I imagine they really wouldn't want to pay the same percentage on a $4000 laptop.

With their own chip, they only have to pay for manufacturing and patents.
 

chucker23n1

macrumors G3
Dec 7, 2014
8,243
10,810
I have been wondering for a while, why they haven't added 5G to the laptops. Is it cost, space or power requirements? But when they do, I will upgrade!

All three, I'm guessing. AFAIK, Qualcomm charges more for cellular modems in laptop than in tablets, and more in tablets than in phones. Then you add that it's a completely separate chipset, so it adds space and power.

A hypothetical Apple modem would save on licensing costs, and could be integrated more tightly in their SoC.

I'm sure they'll still make it a $200 option regardless, but that's another matter.
 

Malus120

macrumors 6502a
Jun 28, 2002
668
1,363
Portable Mac's seem like the perfect place to trial building Apple's modems into SOCs before sticking them into devices where they are mission critical like iPhones.

Heck, they don't even really need to wait for 5G, 4G would be fine for most people and assuming they can legally ship everything they brought in house from Intel, they could probably do that as early as 2024-2025. Waiting until 2026 or later seems like a good way to never ship a modem. Sometimes you have to ship a mediocre product before you can ship a good one.
 

EmotionalSnow

macrumors 6502
Nov 1, 2019
346
1,225
Linz, Austria
Portable Mac's seem like the perfect place to trial building Apple's modems into SOCs before sticking them into devices where they are mission critical like iPhones.

Heck, they don't even really need to wait for 5G, 4G would be fine for most people and assuming they can legally ship everything they brought in house from Intel, they could probably do that as early as 2024-2025. Waiting until 2026 or later seems like a good way to never ship a modem. Sometimes you have to ship a mediocre product before you can ship a good one.
No, they certainly do need 5G because 4G will be at least partially discontinued and its frequencies reassigned to 5G faster than one might think.
 

kiranmk2

macrumors 65816
Oct 4, 2008
1,451
1,703
I wonder if this will put an end to the wifi-only/cellular SKUs and just make everything cellular by default.

Very overdue.

Also we need to have multi-device data plans that use the same single bill and share the same data pool. I don't know why we haven't evolved to that yet.
Money
 
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