SIM Cards in Mac laptops

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Geektastic

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#140745 19-Feb-2014 09:44

You can put a SIM card in an iPad and use 3G/4G direct.

Why have they never put that ability into something like the MB Air?

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#990165 19-Feb-2014 09:45

They want you to get an iPhone (or iPad with cellular) and tether to it.

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nathan

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#990166 19-Feb-2014 09:46

collect the set, you can then have an iPad, MBA and an iPhone

I see many people doing this and just cannot fathom the ROI on this

Geektastic

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#990169 19-Feb-2014 09:49

I can't see the point of the iPad at all, personally. It's a 'Shiny Thing' not a particularly useful one, at least to me.

I need to be able to run real software on my portable, so an iPad is no use at all.

Yes you can tether (although I believe some countries have networks that do not allow it) but of course that must be slower than a direct SIM network connection I imagine?

chiefie

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#990182 19-Feb-2014 09:55

Geektastic: I can't see the point of the iPad at all, personally. It's a 'Shiny Thing' not a particularly useful one, at least to me.

I need to be able to run real software on my portable, so an iPad is no use at all.

Yes you can tether (although I believe some countries have networks that do not allow it) but of course that must be slower than a direct SIM network connection I imagine?

The speed is negligible, as you can tether using iPhone via WiFi Personal Hotspot, or Bluetooth Personal Hotspot, or even USB connection. If you have other smartphone device, you can use its WiFi hotspot internet sharing feature.

We are lucky in NZ that our carriers do not limit the ability to tether devices, or have additional charges to enable such ability.

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gehenna

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#990186 19-Feb-2014 10:00

Geektastic: I can't see the point of the iPad at all

Sounds like you haven't had that "click" moment. I have specific use-cases for both my Mac's and my iPad/iPhone. All are useful in their own way, certainly not toys to me. I could easily work a productive day on my iPad, and possibly even my iPhone (with some frustration at the screen size), but at a push it could be done.

sbiddle

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#990206 19-Feb-2014 10:26

I was amazed when I was in the US last year to see the number of people carrying an iPad Mini and an iPhone.

To me it shows Apple have failed miserably when it comes to building an iPhone with a bigger screen as it's clearly what lots of people want. It also shows how smart Apple are because their customers just lap it up and buy 2 products instead of one.

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#990212 19-Feb-2014 10:36

sbiddle: I was amazed when I was in the US last year to see the number of people carrying an iPad Mini and an iPhone.

To me it shows Apple have failed miserably when it comes to building an iPhone with a bigger screen as it's clearly what lots of people want. It also shows how smart Apple are because their customers just lap it up and buy 2 products instead of one.

I like iPhones, I cant stand the iPad's. That really wouldnt surprise me.
But it would be good if Macbooks had a data card in them. More subscribers for Vodafone :)

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wasabi2k

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#990217 19-Feb-2014 10:42

Even windows laptops with 3G built in are not THAT common. They tend to have AWFUL drivers and break, a lot in my experience (that was a few years ago). They also appeared to add a decent amount of cost and could not be upgraded.

As has been said - connectivity through wifi/tethering is fairly ubiquitous.

As always - you could always use a dongle - easy to swap out when 4G/LTE or 5G or 6G etc comes out.

Geektastic

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#990226 19-Feb-2014 10:46

gehenna:
Geektastic: I can't see the point of the iPad at all

Sounds like you haven't had that "click" moment. I have specific use-cases for both my Mac's and my iPad/iPhone. All are useful in their own way, certainly not toys to me. I could easily work a productive day on my iPad, and possibly even my iPhone (with some frustration at the screen size), but at a push it could be done.

The issue for me is that things I need to do when travelling include using Adobe Lightroom and Adobe CC, neither of which will run unless you have a proper OS. I also need access to USB ports for downloading from memory cards and connecting back up HDD's etc.

An iPad is suboptimal for such use.

Dairyxox

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#990290 19-Feb-2014 11:31

I agree with the OP that having a sim slot/ cellular connectivity would be a good idea in a MBA.

Having said that I wouldn't use it, I only want one sim card/ cellular account at once thanks, and tethering works fine for my use.

As for nathans comment about owning the set & ROI. Really? Gadgets are practically toys to some people, there doesn't need to be a return on investment in many cases, macbooks and ipads dont have to be expensive for what you get either (iPhones seems somewhat expensive). I agree that between a smartphone, laptop and tablet at least one device becomes somewhat redundant, but which of these do you give up? I know most geeks have two out of three and look towards the third, even if they don't have a good use case.

Ive found the ipad makes a great 'computer' for the missus. But I like using it too.

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#990341 19-Feb-2014 12:12

There was actually some MacBook prototypes on eBay with a SIM card slot a while back so it's obviously something they have thought about.

They probably didn't put them into production as it would eat into their iPad sales. Not a bad problem to have when you are your own worst competitor.

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#990378 19-Feb-2014 12:57

Geektastic: Yes you can tether (although I believe some countries have networks that do not allow it) but of course that must be slower than a direct SIM network connection I imagine?

If you purchased your existing phone in the last few years it can almost certainly provide a hotspot for your mbp.

The networks cannot really tell the difference but maybe some still have T&C's that warn against tethering? I guess some want you to buy data separately for a different device.

Speed is not usually an issue with wifi tether and a good connection.

With heavy data tether use phones get rather hot dealing with wifi and 3g/4g at the same time. I intuit this may increase risk of life reduction but who knows.

You may already know about the 3g/4g usb dongle option. They are quite long and large. I have used these only for short periods, but I'd recommend adding a usb extension for mobile use to reduce the risk of lever type accidental damage to the host port.

gehenna

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#990418 19-Feb-2014 13:14

Geektastic:
An iPad is suboptimal for such use.

I have an RDS at home that runs the apps I can't run on mobile or don't want to run locally on the MacBook. That way I can just RDP into it from any device from anywhere. Job done.

alasta

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#990477 19-Feb-2014 14:07

Dairyxox:As for nathans comment about owning the set & ROI. Really? Gadgets are practically toys to some people, there doesn't need to be a return on investment in many cases, macbooks and ipads dont have to be expensive for what you get either (iPhones seems somewhat expensive). I agree that between a smartphone, laptop and tablet at least one device becomes somewhat redundant, but which of these do you give up? I know most geeks have two out of three and look towards the third, even if they don't have a good use case.

The problem for me is that if I spend $1000 on a photographic lens or a set of hifi speakers then I know I'm going to get 10+ years of consistent enjoyment out of it. In contrast if I spend the same money on an iPhone/iPad then I have to deal with all the support issues and by the time it's two years old it's obsolete.

I have a Macbook Pro, iPad and iPhone and would like to get rid of one of them to get my depreciation costs down, but I use all of these devices frequently and I can't really decide which one I could best live without. They all have their strengths as far as I'm concerned.

tdgeek

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#990481 19-Feb-2014 14:15

A phone is the best option for a phone
A tablet is the best option for a very portable laptop - home, outside, travel
A laptop is the best option for real software - mouse, trackpad, screen size and full OS

I'd expect a full OS on a tablet to be cumbersome, personally

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