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Why Apple never put cellular connectivity in MBP's
- Thread starter HiVolt
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JPack
macrumors P6
SDAVE
macrumors 601
Because data usage on a desktop class laptop ≠ mobile device.
A laptop will chew through gigabytes of data like butter and Apple knows that. I doubt it's related to using it's own modem, the Qualcomm 5G modems are like $50-100 a piece at most, they could've added it a long time ago. The issue is no telephony company in their right mind would support this thing when major US companies like AT&T and Verizon start throttling your data once it hits a 50GB cap (which a laptop can easily hit). Mobile data is still quite expensive, it's not cheaper and unlimited like a home/business internet connection.
Yes, there are iPads that have mobile data, but they are nowhere near the usage in terms of data pulls copared to laptops. The gap is narrowing though.
Also it's a very niche market, the 5G version of iPads and Apple Watches are not even high selling devices.
A laptop will chew through gigabytes of data like butter and Apple knows that. I doubt it's related to using it's own modem, the Qualcomm 5G modems are like $50-100 a piece at most, they could've added it a long time ago. The issue is no telephony company in their right mind would support this thing when major US companies like AT&T and Verizon start throttling your data once it hits a 50GB cap (which a laptop can easily hit). Mobile data is still quite expensive, it's not cheaper and unlimited like a home/business internet connection.
Yes, there are iPads that have mobile data, but they are nowhere near the usage in terms of data pulls copared to laptops. The gap is narrowing though.
Also it's a very niche market, the 5G version of iPads and Apple Watches are not even high selling devices.
SDAVE
macrumors 601
No one wants an ethernet port on a laptop. You can get a USBC > Ethernet adapter for $10 for those rare occasions. If you're docked, get a dock which usually have an ethernet connection built in.
JPack
macrumors P6
You and the other poster are thinking way too simple, as if people using MacBooks with cellular just do regular work. Think of the entire workflow.
There are cameras, media devices, and specialized equipment that needs Ethernet connection. They carry a hotspot (with an Ethernet port) so all devices have cellular, not just their MacBook.
JPack
macrumors P6
You do realize, carriers sell and support 5G notebooks, right?
Business Laptops and Work Laptops for Enterprise | Verizon
Find the best business laptop for your professional needs connected to 5G. Browse top brands like Lenovo and Samsung to keep up with you on the move.
www.verizon.com
You can also subscribe to business plans with 300GB of hotspot data.
Business Cell Phone Plans | T-Mobile for Business
Compare T-Mobile business wireless plans with unlimited data and 5G access for teams of any size. No annual contracts.
www.t-mobile.com
SDAVE
macrumors 601
You do realize, carriers sell and support 5G notebooks, right?
Business Laptops and Work Laptops for Enterprise | Verizon
Find the best business laptop for your professional needs connected to 5G. Browse top brands like Lenovo and Samsung to keep up with you on the move.
You can also subscribe to business plans with 300GB of hotspot data.
Business Cell Phone Plans | T-Mobile for Business
Compare T-Mobile business wireless plans with unlimited data and 5G access for teams of any size. No annual contracts.www.t-mobile.com
Yes I am aware, and as said previously, it is a very niche market and not feasible for most carriers. Nowadays it has gotten better because of 5G hot spots folks have at home, so data has gotten cheaper. My response was more to the OP where they asked why wasn't this a feature long time ago.
Hotspot cards have been a thing for a very long time also, this is nothing new.
I'm fine with this being an option, but I don't ever want to be required to pick a cellular model. I see where some people might find this useful, but I personally am almost never computing somewhere I can't get WiFi. In the rare occasions that I am, my iPhone's hotspot suffices in a pinch.
Part of the reason I'm springing for an M5 Pro, aside from the fact that I desperately need a laptop ASAP, is that I don't want to be forced into the cellular modem. Totally fine if they want to make it a configurable option. I don't want to tack on a few hundred dollars to the price for a feature I won't use though.
In fact, I'll go so far as to say that the OLED display is the only rumored feature of the M6 that actually appeals to me. I do not want a touch screen on my MBP.
Part of the reason I'm springing for an M5 Pro, aside from the fact that I desperately need a laptop ASAP, is that I don't want to be forced into the cellular modem. Totally fine if they want to make it a configurable option. I don't want to tack on a few hundred dollars to the price for a feature I won't use though.
In fact, I'll go so far as to say that the OLED display is the only rumored feature of the M6 that actually appeals to me. I do not want a touch screen on my MBP.
SDAVE
macrumors 601
Bro get an adapter its $10 and throw it in your bag.
Do you realize how big an ethernet port is? It's a 50 year old port.
If you truly want built in Ethernet, go get a Thinkpad or something and move to Windows.
Tdude96
macrumors 6502a
A touch screen on my MBP is the stuff of nightmares. Too many people at work already smudge my screens when they're trying to point something out like savages. Then to add the ability to manipulate the device that way... 😣
IvyKing
macrumors 6502a
I would very much like an Ethernet port on my MBP as it goes with the reason I bought an MBP over an MBA. With the MBP having an SD card slot and a HDMI port, there are two less dongles that I have to carry around and it would be nice to have one less.
BTW, the RJ45 Ethernet port started showing up in the 1992-93 timeframe.
SDAVE
macrumors 601
You're in the minority. Get a hub bro with a built in ethernet jack (cheap solution) it will also have additional USBC/USBA ports on it.
It's 70's/80's tech.
Do you want VGA and DVI back too?
IvyKing
macrumors 6502a
FWIW, before the early 1990's, Ethernet usually meant stringing coaxial cable between desks, and computers would have a BNC connector on the back which would have a BNC Tee fastened to it. As I mentioned before, Ethernet over UTP was an early 90's thing. Installations from that time were usually connected to hubs, which meant only two stations could be communicating at any given instant. Switches became common in the mid to late 90's, which allowed for much higher traffic flows as multiple station pairs could be exchanging data without interruption.
Bottom line is that if I have choice of getting on a network with Ethernet or WiFi, I would pick Ethernet almost every time. As for adapters, USB 3.0 or 3.1 would would not support anything above 2.5G.
I would agree that putting an Ethernet port on an MA wouldn't make sense, but an MBP is a different story.
Bottom line is that if I have choice of getting on a network with Ethernet or WiFi, I would pick Ethernet almost every time. As for adapters, USB 3.0 or 3.1 would would not support anything above 2.5G.
I would agree that putting an Ethernet port on an MA wouldn't make sense, but an MBP is a different story.
SDAVE
macrumors 601
Bro I get all that. I'm in my 40's and have been in computers for over 30 (since age of 10 been in computers) years so I've seen the rise and fall of all kinds of ports.
None of these ports are coming back on mobile devices especially. Even Type-A USB is going away (slowly, it should happen faster imo its an ugly and dated port). USBC is a godsend if you've been around the block. We had so many versions of USB its hilarious.
I use Ethernet all over the place for networking, and usually will choose Ethernet as well if I have a choice over WiFi. But Wifi7 is no slouch either. Pings aren't as good as ethernet of course and there's distance issues, but the point is if you truly want Ethernet and are docked then get a USBC adapter lol, problem solved. You can also go 10GbE with a Thunderbolt adapter so you will get more than 2.5G for RJ45.
If they bring back Ethernet your laptop is going to be thicker and it's a dumb and useless port to put in a MacBook where the same function can be done with a simple thin dongle. You're probably in the 1% niche complaint group for Apple to bring back Ethernet on a MBP. If you want a true desktop experience, get a Mac mini or another Mac desktop, they have ethernet built in.
SDAVE
macrumors 601
IvyKing
macrumors 6502a
ISA slots??? Too new fangled for me - let's bring back S-100 (IEEE-696) slots! Failing that, bring back Apple II slots!
SDAVE
macrumors 601
IvyKing
macrumors 6502a
The BNC connector dates back to 1944 and is still in common use for electronic test equipment. For that matter, the NEMA 1-15P connector dates back to the 1920's is still being used by Apple products.
One advantage of having an internal Ethernet port versus a dongle is that the MAC address will be tied to the computer and not the dongle. Ping times are shorter for Ethernet than Wi-Fi - on speed tests I get 3ms with Ethernet versus 7-8ms with Wi-Fi - where Wi-Fi speeds are often 800M down and 700M up. Speeds for Ethernet on my Mini with a 10G port, though 2.5G on the router, are 2.2G down, 2.1G up.
The 10G Ethernet port brings up a point in that Ethernet over UTP has evolved a lot more over that last 35 years than optical drives, or Firewire ports. My first exposure to networking was Netware over Arcnet - 2.5Mbps over RG-62 in 1990. This was followed 3 years later with 10Mbps Ethernet over UTP and hubs - where co-workers often complained about congestion. 10G with switches will allow for more than 1000x traffic. I wired my house with Cat5e cable 26 years ago to enable networking at 100Mbps, recent testing shows that the Cat5e wiring supports 2.5G speeds.
One advantage of having an internal Ethernet port versus a dongle is that the MAC address will be tied to the computer and not the dongle. Ping times are shorter for Ethernet than Wi-Fi - on speed tests I get 3ms with Ethernet versus 7-8ms with Wi-Fi - where Wi-Fi speeds are often 800M down and 700M up. Speeds for Ethernet on my Mini with a 10G port, though 2.5G on the router, are 2.2G down, 2.1G up.
The 10G Ethernet port brings up a point in that Ethernet over UTP has evolved a lot more over that last 35 years than optical drives, or Firewire ports. My first exposure to networking was Netware over Arcnet - 2.5Mbps over RG-62 in 1990. This was followed 3 years later with 10Mbps Ethernet over UTP and hubs - where co-workers often complained about congestion. 10G with switches will allow for more than 1000x traffic. I wired my house with Cat5e cable 26 years ago to enable networking at 100Mbps, recent testing shows that the Cat5e wiring supports 2.5G speeds.
SDAVE
macrumors 601
No one is arguing against Ethernet here, especially me. I love ethernet and my loft is wired throughout with Ethernet. Albeit I can't run 10GbE since all the wiring is Cat5, my NAS is connected to my Mac Pro directly without a switch and I get 10GbE clean (although the limitation is the NAS which hits about 800MB/sec, which is more than enough for what I do.
The point is no modern thin chassis laptop has an Ethernet port. If they do, it's a specific case (like Thinkpads or whatever). You're in the minority for wanting built in Ethernet on a MacBook.
Mac address is no issue, just get a nice Thunderbolt Dock like a CalDigit TS5 which has built in Ethernet and you'll be set for a long time. It's built for professionals.
I'm also aware of the history of BNC. It's still used in professional environments like HD-SDI ports since it provides very high bandwidth and so on.
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