What could be better than a new MacBook Pro – assuming you’re a fan of Apple laptops? How about a 5G MacBook Pro? If this sounds good to you, code spotted in macOS Tahoe all but confirms there is one on the way.
While tethering a MacBook to an iPhone or – dare we say it? – an Android phone is all well and good, a laptop with built-in data connectivity is a real boon. Apple fans have been hoping for such a device for a long time, and now it seems that the company is ready to deliver the goods.
That Apple would consider a 5G MacBook Pro is hardly surprising. The MBP market is one that is practically begging for a device with such connectivity. Having brought a 5G modem to the iPhone 16e in the form of the “C1” chip, Apple already has the hardware it needs.
MacWorld reports a number of interesting discoveries in the source code of macOS Tahoe – Apple’s latest desktop operating system. The site says that:
Internal Apple code seen by Macworld now reveals that the company has indeed been testing an unreleased MacBook Pro model with an M5 Pro chip and Apple’s first 5G modem.
A MacBook Pro with cellular connectivity is big news, and to have it confirmed not by a random third-party but Apple’s own code is pleasing.
The code references an as-yet unreleased MacBook powered by Apple M5 Pro chip – with the codename t6050. More than this, the code also reveals that this device also contains the Centuari chip – the official name for the C1 chip / 5G modem of the iPhone 16e.
While Apple will undoubtedly have been working away on this device for quite some time, it sees the company catching with Microsoft. The Windows maker already has a 5G business-focused Surface laptop, and there are other manufacturers producing Windows laptops with this type of connectivity.
A 5G MacBook Pro approaches
Apple has been slow to do the same because of concerns about power consumption, but it would seem that the company has been able to get around this problem.
Now that we know Apple has a 5G MacBook Pro in the pipeline, when could we expect to see it? While the device is not too far from being made available, you probably should not hold your breath. It has previously been suggested by Apple guru Mark Gurman that a 5G Mac would not be seen before 2026, and this remains likely.
The chances of the 5G MacBook Pro emerging this year are vanishingly thin, but some time next year seem entirely feasible. Apple has never – or very rarely – been in a rush to release anything before it feels it is absolutely ready. This will be true of a 5G MacBook. As much as it wants to meet the demands of clamoring customers, Apple will want to make sure its first cellular laptop is as close to perfect as possible. With no competition the company is free to take its sweet time, knowing full well that there is a hungry market ready to snap up the laptop the moment it is released.
But apart from the release schedule, there is another important element that remains unknown: price. Apple is in the enviable position of being able to charge pretty much whatever it wants for its products, and it almost certainly will. This is not going to be a cheap laptop by any stretch of the imagination. The usual premium price tag attach to the MacBook Pro could be on the verge of becoming eye-watering.
Is a 5G MacBook Pro something that interests you? What sort of price would you expect Apple to seek, and what would you be willing to pay, Share your thoughts in the comments.
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