“While it’s believed that Apple’s 2013 Mac lineup will feature the same designs as their late-2012 counterparts, they are set to include a range of updated internal features and hardware,” Matt Brian reports for TNW. “We’ve learned about one such chipset change – the inclusion of 802.11ac networking – providing Apple’s updated Mac range with super-fast WiFi connectivity.”
“Sources familiar with Apple’s plans have told The Next Web that Apple has struck a deal with chip maker Broadcom to outfit its new Macs with 802.11ac chips,” Brian reports. “802.11ac is often referred to as 5G WiFi, offering faster throughput, higher capacity, wider coverage and improved power efficiency. Products offering 802.11n connectivity (found in most consumer electronics) provide connections up to 450Mbps with three antennas, while 802.11ac equivalents start at 450Mbps for one antennae and are capable of almost tripling its predecessor with 1.3Gbps throughput via three antennas.”
Read more in the full article here.
Sadly, where I live, our Internet is limited to ~ 20Mbps down and not quite 2Mbps up. Thank you very much Time-Warner.
🙁
Wifi is not just for internet. Fast wifi means you can stream things like 4K signals from iPads and computers to multiple AppleTVs. It means that you can push large media files across your network wirelessly at speeds that compare to wired connected drives.
Why would anyone need to go that fast? Downloading more complex animated gifs?
For wireless transfer of files between devices and the computer (though there is an even faster standard coming that will be ideal for that), for streaming uncompressed content from a computer to TV or speakers.
And 802.11n isn’t already fast enough for this? Honest question, I don’t know the answer. I just know that all my wireless needs and then some are met by my current Airport Extreme.
——RM
I remember these exact same questions as hardwired networks went from 1 Mbps to 10 Mbps to 100Mbps then finally to 1000Mbps. (Most of us will never touch a 10Gbps network.)
People, as you get more devices you will love the extra bandwidth. We are not talking Internet, this is about moving data inside your network. Steaming music, movies, TV and phone all through your wireless network.
Criminy, how many devices would we need to tax 802.11n? I already have at least 10 devices that hook up to my wireless. Of course, they’re not all on at the same time.
I understand perfectly that even more monstrous data-transfer requirements will become necessary in the future. But it’s not the future. It’s now. Anyone who gets an 801.11ac router at this point in time, for home use, is wasting his money to be bleeding edge.
——RM
Beat me to it. I mean, this increased power is cool and all, but aren’t we already as fast as we need, as this point in time? I mean, we already have enough bandwidth to stream 1080p video and I can’t think of anything the average household has to do that would be more bandwidth-intensive than that.
Of course, that’s for the home. Perhaps businesses could use the increased bandwidth to go all WiFi all the time and not need to run Ethernet lines to each desk? Only thing I can think of.
——RM
I’d guess that an average Mac lasts 3-4 years. My iMac is almost 6 years old.
Within 6 years, we will see 4K TVs ( 3840 x 2160 or 4096 x 2160 ). That’s a lot of pixels to stream over the air.
Some people do, that’s all that matters.
Why that fast? Gaming. Apple will challenge and surpass XBox and PlayStation consoles with iOS devices as WiFi controllers and AppleTV.
What I understand is 5GHZ is even more easily stopped by walls so where I have several Apple routers deployed it might not work here.
Less interference from neighbour’s wireless signal.
I tried 5ghz and it sucked pretty bad. Yeah you have spectrum that your neighbors likely won’t be on but the signal wasn’t stable and disconnected every few hours. This was tested on several newer devices including latest AirPort Extreme and iPhone 5.
They didn’t say anything about the spectrum, this is not 5Ghz this is called 5G. It is simply faster networking protocols.
Uh…no. It’s 5 GHz.
2.4 is saturated, also the channels overlap, so even though there are ’11’ channels in 2.4 GHz, 1, 6, and 11 are defaults but are centered over other overlapping channels, thus the limits where 5 GHz, especially the upper channels, are pretty clean.
Check out your building with this
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wifi-explorer/id494803304?mt=12
so what does that mean for my new 27″ iMac that ships this month? i got lucky or jerked for being early?
It only means something if you planned to update your router too. Increasing one device alone does nothing, you must change your entire infrastructure to gain any benefit.
Doesn’t really matter what the rate is on my Mac, 802.11G is fast enough for most of my applications, but I want to add a few “satellite” repeaters to expand my coverage inside my house. With the sexy new Airport Express I have just been waiting MORE THAN A YEAR for Apple to update the Extreme and Expresses to the new chipset….take my money Apple and soon!
Every wireless hop that is repeated cuts your throughput.
Better to get a powerful dual band ‘n’ router and wire to an extender. You resulting ‘extended’ network will be just as fast as your default.
(and if you have a switch, so will the wired extensions)
Also, ‘N’ uses a different protocol than ‘G’, so it is not just the speed, but the added antennas that allow MORE throughput, so you have a better signal at further range.
(MIMO)
Yup,
They will need to update the airport base stations in tandem with this release.