Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
DigiTimes: Apple to Launch MacBooks with Cellular 5G Connectivity in Second Half of 2020
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Good questions. I'm guessing pricing will be all over the map. I hope Tmob still acts to distrust pricing as my plan is way cheaper than VZW or ATT. My guess with their move into streaming they will.
The sad truth is no one really cares about them.
I, OTOH, use it to stream demos and run webex's so the data usage adds up quickly. YMMV
[doublepost=1564755123][/doublepost]
Yes. The touchbar Mac offered more than just the tB over the last nonTB15" MBP for the price differential. Long live the TB.
Nah. Osborne announced a new model at a time when the buying public was small and well versed from all the magazines available at the time. Most potential purchasers barely have heard of 5G, let alone DigiTimes.
Maybe natural progression but not the next big thing. I would think small segment that would truly need.
If this article is accurate, sounds like it should be more expensive as it sounds like it is a much more sophisticated version with better performance, better battery life, etc. Not everyone cares about the higher quality or wants to pay for it, but it's nice to have the option to purchase that type of product.
Cool. The 5G enabled MBP will also have the Antennae in the top Casing. And it will have a nice Antenna band to accommodate them.
Agree...With data limits on iPhones increasing, it doesn't make too much sense cost-wise to purchase a standalone 5G laptop and an additional data plan; on the other hand, similar to the Apple Watch, some people may not want to carry their phone.
But this is a problem your provider creates. I can have the same plan vor iPad and iPhone and use data on whatever device I want. The carrier is the greedy one.
Since Apple is leaning on services so heavily, I could see an Apple becoming a virtual mobile network operator and offering an 'all in one' cell plan covering, say 20GB a month for all Apple devices on your account.
Even if most of the revenue goes to the underlying cellphone company (and I suspect in fact Apple would get a big share from Telcos who want to shift extra capacity), it helps to get iPhone's purchased direct from Apple rather than a mobile network taking a middleman's cut.
Even if most of the revenue goes to the underlying cellphone company (and I suspect in fact Apple would get a big share from Telcos who want to shift extra capacity), it helps to get iPhone's purchased direct from Apple rather than a mobile network taking a middleman's cut.
I've been wondering about this (well LTE) ever since Apple registered 7 Mac models with the Eurasian Economic Commission in June. The model numbers are sometimes reused year-over-year and apply to different SKUs (e.g. every configuration of the 2018 and 2019 13" MacBook Pro have the same model number, see https://everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/?search_keywords=A1989). Apple has used 1 of the 7 for the new entry level 13" MacBook Pro, but reused the model number for the 2019 Air. It seems like a lot of model numbers for laptops... until you look at iPads which have different model numbers for each LTE configuration.
What do they need so many model numbers for?
* New dimensions, the 16" MacBook Pro rumour (that's only one)
* WiFi 6 for all the designs (Air, 13 2-port, 13 4-port, 15)
* Refreshing all the designs with a new keyboard (scissor key rumours)
* Maybe higher-res cameras or even FaceID? With Ice Lake, webcams will no longer need a MIPI-to-USB chip in the laptop bezel. (via AnandTech https://www.anandtech.com/show/1377...nm-ice-lake-lakefield-snow-ridge-cascade-lake)
* The rumoured ARM lineup (I'd bring back the iBook name) whether a new 12" or a premium 16"?
* LTE/5G models?
Whether this year or next, it seems like some significant revisions are coming.
What do they need so many model numbers for?
* New dimensions, the 16" MacBook Pro rumour (that's only one)
* WiFi 6 for all the designs (Air, 13 2-port, 13 4-port, 15)
* Refreshing all the designs with a new keyboard (scissor key rumours)
* Maybe higher-res cameras or even FaceID? With Ice Lake, webcams will no longer need a MIPI-to-USB chip in the laptop bezel. (via AnandTech https://www.anandtech.com/show/1377...nm-ice-lake-lakefield-snow-ridge-cascade-lake)
* The rumoured ARM lineup (I'd bring back the iBook name) whether a new 12" or a premium 16"?
* LTE/5G models?
Whether this year or next, it seems like some significant revisions are coming.
The article makes it sound like rocket science to embed LTE and 5G antenna's in a notebook, yet other manufacturers have been doing it for years. Apple can't put the antenna's in the screen like everyone else?
4G would be enough... don't care about 5G.
I've 4G in all my mobile devices and I really appreciate the comfort that comes with it.
And, no, tethering is not a smart solution for more than a couple hours...
I've 4G in all my mobile devices and I really appreciate the comfort that comes with it.
And, no, tethering is not a smart solution for more than a couple hours...
I could get behind this. But will cell companies provide reasonable rates in the near future? I doubt it.
I experimented with the idea of cancelling broadband and just using cell data for internet, but cell data plans are all carefully designed to prevent this from being practical. I'm on the road 5 days a week, and do all my work on a tablet. But i would use a computer if I could solve the data problem.
I can't understand why tablets/ netbooks/ phones are treated as fundamentally different from "ye olde computer". It was true, but not anymore!
It reinforces the idea that "mobile" devices are toys, and cellular data is for playtime only. If you have to do real work on the road, you arent alloeed....unless you pay a ridiculous price for limited amounts of data. It is a PITA.
I experimented with the idea of cancelling broadband and just using cell data for internet, but cell data plans are all carefully designed to prevent this from being practical. I'm on the road 5 days a week, and do all my work on a tablet. But i would use a computer if I could solve the data problem.
I can't understand why tablets/ netbooks/ phones are treated as fundamentally different from "ye olde computer". It was true, but not anymore!
It reinforces the idea that "mobile" devices are toys, and cellular data is for playtime only. If you have to do real work on the road, you arent alloeed....unless you pay a ridiculous price for limited amounts of data. It is a PITA.
When was the last time Apple used the 'i' prefix for a new product?
How many new products have been released since then that eschewed the 'i' prefix?
And how many products starting with 'i' have been renamed since?
(Answer 1: 2010 for the iPad and 2011 for iCloud).
(Answer 2: Apple Watch, Airpods, Homepod, Facetime, News, Home, Clips)
(Answer 3: at least four, iBooks, iPhoto, iCal, iTunes)
Depends on your use case. I travel a lot and tethering is not viable for connectivity for hours. In addition, 5G connectivity would provide a bit more security than public wifi, even with a VPN. I think it would make a nice option.
If 5G becomes a viable replacement for fibre then a 5G MBP would be a no brainer.
[doublepost=1564760553][/doublepost]
How devices use bandwidth. Computers would place greater demands on the network for longer periods. Having hundreds of people streaming video, downloading large files, etc., often simultaneously on a machine, is not what the network is designed to provide.
Last edited:
Agreed. Only for a couple hours per month. The per month is the important part.
I thought hotspot would be viable for home internet since i am home only 2 days per week, but it didnt work out.
Then i thought maybe i could use an ipad pro for my "computer", but that required too many sacrifices.
The limiting factor is not the technology, but the decisions being made by the people who decide what we are allowed to have.
So much for a "free market!"
I doubt there is such a difference between types of devices...fir people who work on the road, for example.
All carriers need to do is impose a reasonable speed limit for "heavy" usage. I mean, some kind of "data density" limit, data over time. But it has to be reasonable. The 600kbps hotspot with some plans is effectively not a hotspot. Maybe 3mbps? I could do all my work on that without a problem.
I agree you wont be uploading 4k video to youtube at 3mbps, which i think is fine. But the practice can effectively be discouraged by a limit that affects the transfer of that amount of data, not an impractical speed for all use cases!
All carriers need to do is impose a reasonable speed limit for "heavy" usage. I mean, some kind of "data density" limit, data over time. But it has to be reasonable. The 600kbps hotspot with some plans is effectively not a hotspot. Maybe 3mbps? I could do all my work on that without a problem.
I agree you wont be uploading 4k video to youtube at 3mbps, which i think is fine. But the practice can effectively be discouraged by a limit that affects the transfer of that amount of data, not an impractical speed for all use cases!