Apple MacBooks may be the first ones to use LTE connectivity, and according to a patent filed in Summer 2015, and finally published this week, it could happen as soon as this year.
Back in 2007, Apple was very close to releasing a 3G MacBook. It was so close, in fact, that a working Santa Rosa MacBook Pro prototype was purchased from an anonymous seller on Craigslist. The Santa rosa MacBook Pro featured an extensible antenna built into the side of the back cover, as well as a Dynastream ANT2USB compatible SIM card slot, capable of connecting to AT&T and T-Mobile 3G networks.
Steve Jobs motioned against the decision of going forward with integrating cellular connectivity into MacBooks, based on the premise that he felt consumers shouldn’t be locked into carrier contracts, and that the technology would have restricted innovation for future MacBooks. With that said, it appears that Apple is still flirting with the idea of enabling MacBook users to use cellular connectivity.
This week, the patent granted by the USPTO reveals some exciting details, not only about a possible LTE receiver we might find built into the next MacBook Pro, but also about some important upgrades in reference to 2.4GHz Bluetooth, 5GHz WiFi, built-in GPS, and NFC.
Wireless connectivity is expected to be a primary focus in this year’s rumored refresh of the MacBook Pro, aside from the integration of Intel Skylake CPUs, USB Type-C ports, the OLED touch-strip, and the very exciting, but rather unlikely inclusion of Touch-ID into the Force Touch trackpad.
Introducing LTE capabilities into MacBooks could also mean that Apple is also going forward with the idea of the Apple SIM, a unified card capable of connecting to different wireless carriers. The Apple SIM rumor has been around for a while, primarily associated with future iOS devices, like the iPad Pro, but this new patent may be an indication that Apple has bigger plans for LTE connectivity.