7 ms·

A market does not require a “shitload”. I am certain that I am not the only person who would buy a MacBook Pro with the connectivity of a Dell.

fkyoureadthedoc 3y ago
You're certainly not the only person, but who are you to say that there's enough of you to offset the cost? They might very well have determined that they won't make enough money to do it, in which case the market is working perfectly well.
- mcculley 3y ago
  I remain unconvinced that this was a free market decision. This is why I asked about any evidence in the patent and royalty situation.
bradknowles 3y ago
Can you prove how many people would actually do so? Not the ones who say they would but in the end wouldn't cough up the money, but would actually carry through? If you can't prove that market is large enough, then it doesn't make sense for Apple to go to that expense. For example, how many people would pay enough extra to make it profitable for Apple to include a 192GB memory option for the M2 Max laptops and desktops? The current top end model maxes out at 96GB. How many people would pay enough extra to make it worth Apple's time to double that top end RAM value? I'm sure Apple can do it, it's just a matter of including the next level of higher capacity RAM modules. What is your provable Total Addressable Market? Startups do this kind of evaluation all the time, and they try to wheedle VCs out of money with those numbers. And VCs poke holes in those evaluations all the time. So, let's do the same thing here.
- mcculley 3y ago
  Why do you think Dell bothers to put LTE modems in laptops? I asked about evidence regarding the patent and royalty situation that prevents Apple from delivering a similar product. I am on my fifth MacBook Pro. My first Mac was the 12” PowerBook G4. I bought many more for my employees. I would like to upgrade right now, but it would only be a marginal improvement. If Apple shipped a MacBook Pro today with an LTE modem, I would buy it today, as it would help me with my constant travel. I would like to open the lid on my MacBook Pro and immediately reply to the email I need to reply to instead of starting up the hotspot and waiting on it to download. iPad and iPhone can do this. That the laptop cannot is ridiculous.
  - fkyoureadthedoc 3y ago
    > Why do you think Dell bothers to put LTE modems in laptops? If I had to guess, more enterprise clients that want it. Seriously doubt it's individuals buying up enough to make it worth it. I mean you won't even buy one right.
  - bradknowles 3y ago
    It has nothing to do with patents or royalties. It's all about the total addressable market and whether or not Apple thinks they could make enough profit from adding such a feature. Obviously, Apple has decided not.
    - mcculley 3y ago
      It is not obvious to me.
      - bradknowles 3y ago
        If Apple had decided there was enough profit to be made, then you would already have the device in your hands. The fact that you do not have said device is proof that Apple has decided there's not enough profit to be made. The irony is that I agree with you one the point that I'd like to see a MacBook Pro with an integrated SIM or e-SIM card, so that I wouldn't need to tether. Where we disagree is on what process Apple has gone through and what conclusions they have reached on whether they can make enough profit off that function.
        mcculley 3y ago
        My prediction is that once Apple has their own modem IP working and is not dependent on Qualcomm, the next release of MacBook Pro will have a builtin modem. This why I am asking about the patent/royalty situation and not making assumptions or apologies about Apple's process. Would someone like to bet against this? I would like to invest in a prediction market for this.
        3y ago

fkyoureadthedoc 3y ago

You're certainly not the only person, but who are you to say that there's enough of you to offset the cost? They might very well have determined that they won't make enough money to do it, in which case the market is working perfectly well.

mcculley 3y ago
I remain unconvinced that this was a free market decision. This is why I asked about any evidence in the patent and royalty situation.

bradknowles 3y ago

Can you prove how many people would actually do so? Not the ones who say they would but in the end wouldn't cough up the money, but would actually carry through? If you can't prove that market is large enough, then it doesn't make sense for Apple to go to that expense. For example, how many people would pay enough extra to make it profitable for Apple to include a 192GB memory option for the M2 Max laptops and desktops? The current top end model maxes out at 96GB. How many people would pay enough extra to make it worth Apple's time to double that top end RAM value? I'm sure Apple can do it, it's just a matter of including the next level of higher capacity RAM modules. What is your provable Total Addressable Market? Startups do this kind of evaluation all the time, and they try to wheedle VCs out of money with those numbers. And VCs poke holes in those evaluations all the time. So, let's do the same thing here.

mcculley 3y ago
Why do you think Dell bothers to put LTE modems in laptops? I asked about evidence regarding the patent and royalty situation that prevents Apple from delivering a similar product. I am on my fifth MacBook Pro. My first Mac was the 12” PowerBook G4. I bought many more for my employees. I would like to upgrade right now, but it would only be a marginal improvement. If Apple shipped a MacBook Pro today with an LTE modem, I would buy it today, as it would help me with my constant travel. I would like to open the lid on my MacBook Pro and immediately reply to the email I need to reply to instead of starting up the hotspot and waiting on it to download. iPad and iPhone can do this. That the laptop cannot is ridiculous.
- fkyoureadthedoc 3y ago
  > Why do you think Dell bothers to put LTE modems in laptops? If I had to guess, more enterprise clients that want it. Seriously doubt it's individuals buying up enough to make it worth it. I mean you won't even buy one right.
- bradknowles 3y ago
  It has nothing to do with patents or royalties. It's all about the total addressable market and whether or not Apple thinks they could make enough profit from adding such a feature. Obviously, Apple has decided not.
  - mcculley 3y ago
    It is not obvious to me.
    - bradknowles 3y ago
      If Apple had decided there was enough profit to be made, then you would already have the device in your hands. The fact that you do not have said device is proof that Apple has decided there's not enough profit to be made. The irony is that I agree with you one the point that I'd like to see a MacBook Pro with an integrated SIM or e-SIM card, so that I wouldn't need to tether. Where we disagree is on what process Apple has gone through and what conclusions they have reached on whether they can make enough profit off that function.
      - mcculley 3y ago
        My prediction is that once Apple has their own modem IP working and is not dependent on Qualcomm, the next release of MacBook Pro will have a builtin modem. This why I am asking about the patent/royalty situation and not making assumptions or apologies about Apple's process. Would someone like to bet against this? I would like to invest in a prediction market for this.
        3y ago