Apple's next generation of laptops, not to be in production for several years, will include cellular connections, reports MacRumors. But they won't be like the chipsets found in its phones and high-end tablets: the company plans to integrate it into its own system-on-a-chip.
Gurman says Apple will "probably need two or three additional years to get that chip inside cellular versions of the Apple Watch and iPad – and the Mac, once the part is integrated into the company's system-on-a-chip."
Apple has explored the possibility of developing MacBooks with cellular connectivity in the past. Indeed, the company reportedly considered launching a MacBook Air with 3G connectivity, but former CEO Steve Jobs said in 2008 that Apple decided against it, since it would take up too much room in the case. An integrated SoC would solve that problem.
Not mentioned, but the thing here is maybe Qualcomm wanting a cut of the net price of the device and various other licensing fees. Apple is fed up paying that tax on iPhones and iPads and doesn't want to start handing Qualcomm $50-$100 for every high-end laptop it sells.
The hotspot shared by my iPhone is just unreliable, so, for me, the lack of cellular on MacBooks is a drag.
