Would you like a MacBook Pro with LTE capability?

[hajime]

I want a MacBook Pro with LTE connectivity. How likely will that be? Is there 3rd party product that can get the job done?

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/m/88a22ec3-123d-38d3-9861-50d69be6d42e/microsoft-adds-surface-pro.html

 

[robvas]

They have never offered it. Just activate hotspot on your phone.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

To be honest the few times i’ve Needed it the hotspot on my phone has been fine.

 

[960design]

I want a MacBook Pro with LTE connectivity. How likely will that be? Is there 3rd party product that can get the job done?

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/m/88a22ec3-123d-38d3-9861-50d69be6d42e/microsoft-adds-surface-pro.html

As already mentioned. Hotspot on iPhone is so easy to use, I've never needed or missed it on my MBPr.

 

[hajime]

I tried it once but it looked like phone battery lost power easily.

 

[960design]

I tried it once but it looked like phone battery lost power easily.

True, it will not last 10 hours. But I have certainly worked for several hours on a hotspot ( at least 4 ).

 

[campyguy]

I wished and it's never happened. I just traded in my ATTWS Unite hotspot for a Netgear Nighthawk hotspot - it's pretty zippy, got 18 hours of light usage a few days ago with wifi and I'd likely get a few more if I used the built-in ethernet. Added it to my UL Plus plan - $20 per month for UL data, got it before ATTWS cuts off that option sometime soon… That hotspot is the next best thing IMO.

 

[spooklog]

Agreed, LTE connectivity built into a laptop would be very nice. After all, iPads have it. I've used my iPhone as a hotspot for my old WiFi iPad but it sucks the battery life very quickly. An LTE chip in a Macbook should be easy and cheap to do...I guess the customer demand just isn't there.

 

[Tech198]

I wouldn't want LTE connectivity on a Mac... You have hotspot for that. A apart from needing to connect with a phone, i could see this as good, however it would use more battery life if integrated.

 

[Nermal]

I personally wouldn't use it often enough to justify having its own SIM and associated plan (my current plan doesn't offer data sharing), and the hassle of moving the SIM from my phone to the computer would offset any benefit over just tethering the phone.

 

[velocityg4]

I'd have no use for it. An LTE modem would just mean another monthly bill. I don't get charged extra for using my phone as a hotspot/modem. So, I'd rather just use it for the rare times I need a mobile connection.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

I doubt I would (if I still had a laptop), but I also don't doubt others would like it.

Same goes for LTE on iPad - I'd rather not have the extra plan, and my iPhone's hotspot works just fine. Others, of course, appreciate having LTE on their iPads.

Somewhere along the line, the entire PC industry seems to have come to the conclusion that LTE in laptops is not a mainstream desire. Since they're not likely to ignore a compelling feature that could increase the selling price, the consumer and/or institutional interest must be pretty small (focus group testing, surveys of IT managers, etc.).

What's interesting is that LTE in tablets and wearables clearly addresses a significant consumer demand/desire. Why one, but not the other?

I'm not sure battery life would be a major concern. Laptops have far greater battery capacity than smartphones and most tablets. The amount of power necessary to run an LTE radio is the same, regardless of battery capacity, so LTE would be a smaller percentage load on laptop capacity than it would be for other mobile devices.