3G MacBook Pro prototype shows alternate history of mobile Mac

It appears that at one time Apple was exploring 3G-capable MacBook Pros. eBay seller Abhw752579 has listed a prototype 2007 Santa Rosa MacBook Pro with an integrated 3G antenna built in to the LCD screen. The eBay seller is not the original owner or the machine, but bought it from someone on Craigslist who was selling the laptop "for parts." However, upon disassembling the MacBook Pro, Abhw752579 discovered it contained a red motherboard, which typically signifies an Apple prototype model. Of course the other feature that should have immediately tipped off Abhw752579 that something was out of the ordinary with this particular MacBook Pro was the huge 3G data antenna hanging off the laptop's screen.

As you can see from the image above, the 3G antenna is extendable, and Abhw752579 notes that its underside is marked with "Tyco Proto / #006" in ink. In addition to the 3G antenna, there's also a standard size SIM card slot located underneath the memory cover on the bottom of the MacBook Pro. Abhw752579 was able to get the prototype powered on and discovered that OS X did pick up the 3G antenna, but there was of course no data signal.

Users have been hoping for a while now that Apple will add 3G connectivity to their laptop line and this prototype confirms Apple has at least explored the option. However, after seeing how ugly a MacBook Pro looks with an antenna hanging off of it, I'm glad Apple never brought the laptop to market. Then again, 2007 was a long time ago (in tech terms) and if Apple can build a concealed 3G antenna into an iPad, they can easily fit the same antenna into the existing form factor of today's MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros.

[via MacRumors]

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Source: http://cgi.ebay.com/Unreleased-PROTOTYPE-Apple-Macbook-Pro-1…

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It appears that at one time Apple was exploring 3G-capable MacBook Pros. eBay seller Abhw752579 has listed a prototype 2007 Santa Rosa...

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Alex

The mothership must've abducted the guy, because the listing is no longer up :(

August 15 2011 at 3:53 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

sebastienb

Does Ipad sam comments are getting really annoying!

August 15 2011 at 7:40 AM Report abuse Permalink -2 rate up rate down Reply

Khalil AMAR

Think MiFi or D-Link DIR-412, it accepts any USB modem (evdo,hspa, umts, etc...) and shares the wwan in /b/g/n 150mbps.

August 14 2011 at 9:53 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

alexjames65165

I just paid $22.87 for an iPad2-64GB and my girlfriend loves her Panasonic Lumix GF 1 Camera that we got for $38.76 there arriving tomorrow by UPS.
I will never pay such expensive retail prices in stores again. Especially when I also sold a 40 inch LED TV to my boss for $675 which only cost me $62.81 to buy.
Here is the website we use to get it all from, http://BidsFirst.com

August 14 2011 at 8:45 PM Report abuse Permalink -5 rate up rate down Reply

iSRS

Does it glow blue like on iCarly? :)

August 14 2011 at 8:10 PM Report abuse Permalink +1 rate up rate down Reply

Jones

Hard to believe it could have ever landed on the market with that form factor, it's likely only an engineering proof of concept.

August 14 2011 at 7:36 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Jeff Ed

I don't think the antenna looks ugly. I wouldn't mind having that built into my penryn mbp, for better reception.

It's worth noting that AT&T could in no way handle the network traffic is this was a feature that came built in circa 2007. However, a 3G iPad is able to run mobile data more manageably. For example, generally you're loading One webpage if you're in the browser. If you switch to another app, the browser isn't loading web pages. If you ARE using an app, then the graphics or video players are already installed in your iOS software; All the data that app needs to access is the text or raw media code, and again, it's at a 1-at-a-time pace.
Running a multi-client chat application? Or for that matter, running 8 separate social/comm apps in the background? They can all switch over to remote-based push communication when not in use. Dramatically cuts down the data-rate compared to running a 10-client chat program on your laptop, which actively sends continuous data i/o.

This all came out sounding kind of messy, but my intent was just to put it in basic terms to see why the iPad (and iPhone, naturally) was a better choice from Apple's perspective to use to jump in to mobile data.

August 14 2011 at 4:56 PM Report abuse Permalink +1 rate up rate down Reply

2 replies to Jeff Ed's comment

Christian T

Well AT&T had USB modems way before that.

August 14 2011 at 8:02 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

jforeman@gmail.com

Ummm, I've been tethering my MacBook with my iPhone for years now. 3G on laptops is not something new...

August 14 2011 at 9:12 PM Report abuse Permalink -1 rate up rate down Reply

2 replies to jforeman@gmail.com's comment

puhsitch

Yeah, but making it a built-in feature on MacBooks would have thrust it into a whole new level of usage, which I think we can say with some confidence that AT&T would have had trouble handling!

August 14 2011 at 10:10 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down

Jeff Ed

@puhsitch (below) mentioned what I was trying to say. Having a technology available does not gain the same amount of people using it as "coming built into every Apple Laptop". People just sign up when it's thrown in with the big purchase. Lots of people aren't even aware that it's available before it's 'built in to their new mac'. That's all I was really saying. I know it was possible back in '07, but it was not widely used by the general public. I just have doubts that AT&T could have handled it well.

August 18 2011 at 2:45 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down