Apple is apparently preparing to debut its first cellular MacBook models next year, with 5G-enabled MacBooks coming in the second half of 2020 according to Digitimes.
Apple will purportedly be using a ceramic antenna component for better 5G performance.
At this stage, nobody but Digitimes is making these claims — and it’s always worth treating Digitimes reporting with a healthy dose of skepticism. Apple may well be exploring possible designs for cellular-enabled notebooks, but we wouldn’t put too much stock in the 2020 timeframe just yet. Regarding’s Apple 5G plans, it only seems like a 5G iPhone lineup is a guaranteed 2020 product at this stage.
Digitimes says that Apple will use a ceramic material for the 5G antenna board, rather than the typical metals employed by other manufacturers. This will apparently dramatically improve cellular reception and transmission speed.
Digitimes said the use of ceramic materials can improve 5G speeds by as much as twice as fast. However, the ceramic parts cost six times as much as the standard components. Apple’s high-price premium brand in the market enables it to make such a strategic component decision.
The 5G-enabled MacBook line — unclear if Apple is looking at a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air form factor — would supposedly be ready to ship in late 2020.
For 2019, Apple is readying a redesigned MacBook Pro with a 16-inch display panel. The new larger screen would come with narrower bezels than those seen in the current Pro design, with the 16-inch model taking up about the same physical chassis space as the existing 15-inch MacBook Pro line. This 16-inch MacBook Pro is expected to feature a new scissor-switch-mechanism keyboard, signaling the beginning of the end for the controversial and unreliable butterfly keyboard in Apple’s laptops.
The new model is believed to be an addition to the MacBook Pro product lineup, rather than a 15-inch replacement, with a starting price around $3000.
