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A new report claims that code references within a beta release of macOS Tahoe prove Apple is at least testing a MacBook Pro with a 5G cellular modem.
Even back in 2019, a 5G MacBook Pro was expected to be just around the corner, and such a device has been periodically predicted, or perhaps just wished for. Given the popularity of the MacBook Pro, it has seemed unusual that Apple hasn’t put a cellular modem in one, but a new report adds to the belief that a 5G model could truly be on its way.
MacWorld reports that it has seen internal code that proves Apple has been testing a MacBook Pro that has the company’s first 5G modem — as well as an M5 Pro processor. There’s no indication of what form the code takes, but the as-yet unreleased MacBook Pro is one of those whose model identifiers were found by AppleInsider.
It appears that the modem used is the C1, which was first introduced with the iPhone 16e. It’s a 5G modem, but not one that supports the faster mmWave 5G — and yet real-world testing showed it outperforming the mmWave modem in the iPhone 16.
However, in more configurations of Apple devices uncovered by AppleInsider, there was a reference to a C2 modem. That model identifier is C4020, which follows the C1 whose identifier was C4000.
So it’s not clear why a C1 would be being tested in a MacBook Pro and not, at least according to code references, the C2. It’s probable that the C2 is again intended to debut in an iPhone, however.
Nonetheless, this code does appear to be the first reference to a 5G modem being included in a MacBook Pro, following many recent rumors. The reason for those rumors is entirely down to how Apple now makes its own 5G modems.
Controlling its modem design as well as every other part of its devices, means that Apple can optimize it. A faster 5G modem which also draws less power, is a clearly attractive upgrade for the MacBook Pro, whose users carry everywhere, but whose users also have to be conscious of battery life.
So far there has been no specific announcement that the Apple-built modem would appear in any other devices. But Apple has generally made it clear both that there will be future generations of it, and hints that it expects to use its modems widely across its devices.
