Don’t expect 5G-equipped Mac laptops before 2024

In a new article, PCMag lead mobile and 5G analyst, Sascha Segan breaks down why it’s unlikely to see an Apple MacBook capable of leveraging 5G for the next three years.

He says: “The super-powered, go-anywhere MacBook Pros look perfect for the 5G age with the ability to download and edit massive ProRes video files and multi-track audio on location. But when it’s time to show those masterpieces to the world, Apple-toting pros need to tether or find Wi-Fi.”

Key highlights from his analysis:

• Apple’s 5G laptop strategy right now is to tell you to buy an iPhone. Basically.
• Qualcomm’s modems, which Apple will use at least through 2022, are a big cost. Selling one MacBook Pro plus an iPhone or iPad means two Apple devices and only one Qualcomm modem.
• The demand for an always-connected laptop isn’t necessarily there, yet. They’re a sideshow, even among the hardest-core road warriors.
• Without its own silicon and a big consumer push, Apple will kick the 5G ball down the road until it’s strategic.
• 2024 is when nationwide coverage will open up on C-Band, the new US 5G band that was auctioned off last year.
• So, the pieces fall into place in 2024 or 2025. Apple should have its own 5G silicon, and cities around the nation will be getting big performance boosts on Verizon and AT&T.