View this article at: http://www.macnn.com/articles/08/11/03/3g.enabled.macbooks/
Monday, Nov 03, 2008 9:20am
3G-enabled MacBooks in development?
Apple's next move in terms of MacBooks will be to add built-in 3G connectivity, says analyst Neil Mawston of Strategy Analytics. Mawston contends it is a "logical next step" for Apple, and that the technology could be added to the Pro, Air, and/or regular notebooks. The incentive would be not so much outstanding demand, as the ability of carriers in the US and Europe to sell Macs to people who have already been lured to a phone network by the iPhone.

Mawston suggests that MacBooks could receive HSDPA receivers as soon as the next Macworld Expo, which is scheduled for early January. The change is believed to be unlikely though, as Apple only recently revealed new aluminum MacBooks, and the company has typically refused to issue hardware refreshes within such a short space of time. UK retailer Carphone Warehouse is rumored to have added Macs to its inventory system, though this could be related to the company's investment in Best Buy.