Apple intends to include in-house cellular modems in MacBooks

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple eventually intends to include its own unique modem into cellular MacBook models, which may launch as early as 2028. Since 2018, the company has been working on its own modem as a move to end its dependency on companies like Qualcomm. For the time being, the company is using Qualcomm’s modems in its iPhones.

In the past, the timeframe for the release of modems has been modified several times. It is anticipated that it will be ready by 2026. According to Gurman, the company might include the new chips in several Apple devices. In his newsletter, Gurman claims that the company will merge an in-house modem with the system-on-a-chip (SoC). It will be used in MacBooks that will eventually feature built-in cellular connectivity. According to him, these are the company’s custom tech ambitions.

Gurman notes that the company will possibly take two or three more years to develop a chip with cellular connectivity. The company will use it in iPads, Apple Watches, and Macs once it is done with the merger into the in-house SoC. Well, this is not the first time we have heard about a MacBook with cellular connectivity since the company has tried it in the past. The company indeed thought about releasing a MacBook Air with 3G connectivity, but according to former CEO Steve Jobs’ 2008 statement, Apple opted against it since the device would take up too much space in the case. That issue would be resolved by an integrated SoC.

Besides this, the latest newsletter by Gurman indicates that the company has some other in-house chip projects that are in progress. These include a combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip (to replace components supplied by Broadcom), a non-invasive glucose monitoring system, batteries, camera sensors, and Micro-LED displays for Apple devices.