Super-fast Wi-Fi headed to Apple OS X Mac products according to code
Apple may be preparing to update their Mac line of computers with a new super-fast Wi-Fi standard, according to coding uncovered in the beta release of the forthcoming OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.4 update.
Devs speaking to 9to5Mac have spotted code in the OS’s Wi-Fi framework that references the 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard, which wasn’t present in OS X 10.8.3, the current public release.
The 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard is faster and more stable than current Wi-Fi offerings, and it is thought that Apple are teaming up with Broadcom to put new Wi-Fi tech that can capitalise on it in forthcoming machines. Broadcom can provide gear capable of 1.3Gbps throughput with three antennas to take advantage of the standard.
According to Broadcom, it’ll offer extended range as well as the ability “to watch HD-quality video from more devices, in more places, simultaneously”.
Apple would be following ASUS’s lead, who employed the new Wi-Fi standard in their ASUS ROG G75VW gaming laptop last year.
It’s not clear yet whether the technology is ready for a wide-spread roll-out, but with a MacBook refresh due in the coming months, it seems that Apple are at least keeping their options open with the technology.
