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> the first cellular modem designed by Apple Whoah! Maybe Apple can now figure out how to put a cellular modem in a MacBook Pro.
by mcculley 2y ago
> the first cellular modem designed by Apple
Whoah! Maybe Apple can now figure out how to put a cellular modem in a MacBook Pro.
- azinman2 2y agoBut couldn’t this previously have happened with a Qualcomm modem as well? You can always easily tether to your iPhone. It’s hard to imagine people who own a Mac but don’t have a phone — I assume Android can also provide tethering? Aside from the BOM price increase and physical real estate, do want to pay $10/mo or whatever for an additional line?
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- etchalon 2y agoIt could have, but my understanding is that Qualcomm's contracting is pretty brutal. They had no choice but to accept those terms with the iPhone. With the Mac, so long as they were selling without the modem, why bother?
- mcculley 2y agoI own a MacBook Pro and an iPhone (and other Apple devices which have cellular modems in them: an iPad and an Apple Watch). The tethering is flaky and burns two batteries at once while adding latency. I want an always on Internet connection like I can get with a Dell laptop. The Qualcomm royalty agreement has been the problem, as they reportedly get a fraction of total device cost. How my cellular provider bills me for it is irrelevant.
- crazygringo 2y agoPeople have been saying for years that this has always been part of the plan. That the only reason Apple never included a cellular modem in MacBooks is because it would raise their prices because they'd have to pay Qualcomm. Now that they won't, it seems inevitable.