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Cellular-enabled Macs have been on tech professionals’ wish lists for as long as cellular speeds have been fast enough to actually be useful for data. Apple sells cellular-enabled iPads and cellular-enabled Apple Watches, and of course all iPhones include cellular data, so why not the Mac? Today, I want to make the case that Apple should offer an option to include a built-in cellular modem in MacBook Pro laptops as a way to differentiate them on the high end of the lineup.
About Apple @ Work: Bradley Chambers managed an enterprise IT network from 2009 to 2021. Through his experience deploying and managing firewalls, switches, a mobile device management system, enterprise grade Wi-Fi, 100s of Macs, and 100s of iPads, Bradley will highlight ways in which Apple IT managers deploy Apple devices, build networks to support them, train users, stories from the trenches of IT management, and ways Apple could improve its products for IT departments.
The idea of cellular-enabled Macs is something I wasn’t that convinced of a few years ago. Wi-Fi was fast and cellular was a second-tier backup. It was nice backup when traveling when you needed to do something quick, but it was a situation where you would prefer to be on Wi-Fi. Fast-forward to today, when I am traveling, I often skip right over conference and hotel Wi-Fi in favor of tethering. Cellular connections thanks to 5G Ultra Wideband are incredible.
Why would it make sense for a 5G Ultra Wideband enabled- Mac?
From the Apple perspective, adding 5G would help create a reason to buy a MacBook Pro over a MacBook Air. Right now, the MacBook Air is an incredible value thanks to Apple Silicon. For the vast majority of people outside of developers, designers, and video editors, the MacBook Air is simply good enough if not the right model. Apple Silicon is that good. By adding a 5G option to the MacBook Pro, Apple creates a clear reason for someone to upgrade to the Pro lineup vs the Air. If you want cellular connectivity at all times, the Pro would be the only option.
From the customer’s point of view, having an always-connected Mac would be an incredible experience when traveling. Imagine getting to the airport, pulling out your laptop, and your Mac is just connected. There’s no need to tether to your iPhone. There’s no need to look for free Wi-Fi that is probably not that secure. It would just always be connected.
Even outside of traveling, it would be an incredible option for remote employees. Even if it wasn’t the primary connection option for day-to-day usage, having an immediate fall back to a fast cellular connection would be amazing for folks on video calls, checking in code, etc. Ideally, Apple would build out macOS’ cellular stack to be immediately recognized if the Wi-Fi is showing signs of struggle and automatically switch – especially if the employee was a time-sensitive application like a video meeting.
How could Apple implement guardrails?
macOS would certainly need to know when it was on cellular and at least try to limit incredibly large downloads without user intent. Apps like Dropbox, OneDrive, and Google Drive would need to enter a “low data mode” in order to avoid blowing through a cellular provider’s limits on the accounts.
Apple could also build out device management controls to allow IT admins to control how the device responds when on cellular. I could see things like disabling software update, disabling app updates, limiting large downloads on Safari, etc. Just a handful of features would go a long way in keeping employees from blowing through 100GB of data in a day.
Wrap-up
Overall, I think it’s time for a cellular option in the MacBook Pro lineup. It would drive additional revenue for Apple, but it would also be a huge productivity gain when traveling or dealing with a flaky Wi-Fi connection at home. As long as Apple built out the MDM capabilities for IT professionals to keep Macs from downloading large files while on cellular, I think it would be a win for everyone – especially the employees.
Apple @ Work is brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that fully integrates 5 different applications on a single Apple-only platform, allowing Businesses to easily and automatically deploy, manage & protect all their Apple devices. Over 38,000 organizations leverage Mosyle solutions to automate the deployment, management, and security of millions of Apple devices daily. Request a FREE account today and discover how you can put your Apple fleet on auto-pilot at a price point that is hard to believe.
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