Apple Plans to Equip MacBooks With In-House Cellular Modems - eviltoast
  • .:\dGh/:.@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    If they do they become the undisputed king of portability.

    It baffles me why Apple didn’t push more proactively sharing cellular over their devices, but it always seemed that it was because of cellular models or cellular companies pressure.

    I’m still waiting for the moment you can use cellular as a WiFi backup in a laptop without having to push a button.

    • meseek #2982@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      Patents and a quagmire of legal hurdles. They have long complained about Qualcomms pricing structure. A company like that has a lock on the industry even Apple can’t fully circumvent without significant costs.

      It’s sort of the last piece in the puzzle. Once they get their modems, they become a fully unified system.

      You talk about boosting network stability? That’s just the start when you control all the airwaves.

  • Wooster@startrek.website
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    1 year ago

    I have half memories of patents for Mac Laptops with cellular modems from like… the late PowerPC early Intel era.

    I wonder what’s changed to make Apple give the green light? Certainly isn’t cellular prices.

  • reddig33@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Strange, considering most cell phones have a wireless tether mode. Why would you need a modem in your laptop?

    • kirklennon@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      Tethering burns through battery and a laptop’s battery is much bigger. I believe Apple’s smallest laptop battery has roughly three times the capacity as their biggest iPhone battery. Tethering works well for occasional use but if you’ve got a job where spend pretty much your whole work day roaming around to different locations, having it built in can be quite useful.

      • deleted@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Yeah, I’d prefer less privacy invasive features.

        I don’t get people who downvoted your comment. Like your MacBook can literally connect against your well if apple wants especially with eSIM cards.