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MacBook Air to Finally get Built in 3G?

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Apr 12, 2001
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SiliconRumors (formerly MacScoop) reports that Apple is preparing an update to the MacBook Air that could finally include built-in 3G wireless networking.
The most notable feature our sources expect to be added to the new MacBook Air is a built-in 3G modem allowing connectivity to high-speed cellular networks.
Click to expand...
The rumor site also suggests that the entry level MacBook Air could find a lower pricepoint between $1300-$1500. The possibility of 3G in future Apple laptops has been suggested before through both job descriptions and evidence in Snow Leopard.

Apple has already released a minor update to the white MacBook today and there have been rumors that they be readying more update for WWDC. SiliconRumors was formerly known as MacScoop which has had some reliable information in the past.

Article Link: MacBook Air to Finally get Built in 3G?
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2009/05/27/macbook-air-to-finally-get-built-in-3g/
Where's 4g (thought it was rumored on next iphone)?

Well, it looks like my iPhone will be even slower and have more dropped calls!!!!
 
Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5H11 Safari/525.20)

I hope that this proves to be true. I think that it just makes sense to have 3G in the MBA.
 
Yes!

Yes please and as option in all other Macbooks as well!

And make it as easy to use like on the iPhone, automatic switch from cellular to wifi and back.

Dialing in is so last century.

Got my money and prepaid sim card ready... ;)
 
i dont know if it would be possible but think it would be a really good idea if you could link your iphone to your MB and then use the 3G internet that the phone gets. You would'nt have to pay any extra, you could get internet everywhere an on a desent size screen! :D
 
I think that this would be a great update to the line, but why do I have a feeling that this too would be tied down to AT&T?
 
callmemike20 said:
Where's 4g (thought it was rumored on next iphone)?

Well, it looks like my iPhone will be even slower and have more dropped calls!!!!
Click to expand...

Considering nobody in North America has a 4G network, what purpose would a 4G iPhone have?

If AT&T/Rogers sell a subsidized 3G Air, that would be an awfully tempting device. Especially if they (though I doubt this) offered a single data plan that could be used on both the Air 3G and the iPhone. I don't have data on my iPhone, but if they offered a plan I could use on my phone and on a 3G Air, that would be mighty enticing...
 
$1,499 for a MacBook Air would be a real incentive for those sitting on the fence about these things. That and it would seriously outprice the Adamo, even with a Windows License.
 
Nice I can't wait to get one for work. How would the 3G networking work? You get a contract/plan with AT&T?
 
Why just for the MacBook Air? Let's have it for the entire laptop line up already!!
I can't believe that laptops in this day and age still don't have the ability to connect to the internet via 3G networks without the need of mobile phones. :(
 
I wouldn't be surprised if the $1300-1500 price is after a $200 rebate based on signing a 2 year contract for a AT&T 3G Wireless data plan for $45-60/mo. The card inside will probably be HSPA+ since the new chipsets are starting to be qualified by the carriers, so the user could eventually get speeds of 14.4Mb/s down and 5.6Mb/s up once the sufficient network upgrades are in place - initially they'd probably get 7.2/5.6.

The unsubsidized price will probably remain the same. Its not like the parts to make the MBA are getting a whole lot cheaper (Intel hasn't come out with many new Core2 processors to push prices down).

What I'm more interested in is a MBA refresh to use the new SL9600 2.13Ghz chip. Finally, decent speeds in that tiny form factor. That and bumping the RAM to 4GB DDR3.
 
Sounds cool, but I hope there's an option to not use it. While I'm not in the market for an Air, if I was, I don't want to pay a monthly fee for something I might not use. If I do use it, great, but if I don't want to, I don't want to pay $30/month or whatever.
 
Macintown said:
and a 1000 dollars cheaper....
Click to expand...

Not quite that much, but yeah, if they were to ever make a true netbook, it would have to be priced competitively with the other netbooks out there.

___

If this rumor is true, it will be interesting to see if they tie this in with AT&T or if they actually give the customer the freedom to choose their own provider. God forbid!
 
v66jack said:
i dont know if it would be possible but think it would be a really good idea if you could link your iphone to your MB and then use the 3G internet that the phone gets. You would'nt have to pay any extra, you could get internet everywhere an on a desent size screen! :D
Click to expand...

Tethering? You can already do that with most phones, via USB or bluetooth, and the iPhone will be able to do this with the 3.0 software. Although it won't be free, you will probably have to pay extra to use it. If you want it free you can if you jailbreak.
 
Maybe this will be that deal that Apple and Verizon were rumored to be meeting about. They will be the provider for the 3G in Mac's. Who knows?? Still holding out for an iPhone "Lite" to come to VZW this summer :D
 
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