Apple could be closer than ever to bringing built-in cellular connectivity to the MacBook, allowing users to connect directly to a 5G network without relying on Wi-Fi or an iPhone Personal Hotspot.
The strongest indication of Apple’s plans came in December 2024, when Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple was investigating cellular connectivity for the Mac for the first time. At the time, the feature was considered unlikely to arrive before 2026, with Apple waiting for a faster second-generation version of its own modem technology.
That milestone has now been reached. Apple introduced its C2 modem with iPhone 18 Pro in September, with The Apple Post’s full iPhone 18 Pro coverage detailing how the new Apple-designed modem delivers faster uploads than C1X while using 15 percent less energy. C2 also adds support for mmWave 5G in the United States.
Apple has already expanded its in-house modem technology beyond the iPhone. The cellular version of the current iPad Air uses C1X, showing that Apple’s modem program is no longer limited to smartphones and giving the company experience deploying its own cellular hardware in a larger device.
What remains unclear is which MacBook would be first. Bloomberg’s original report did not identify a specific Mac model or say that cellular connectivity had been approved for a shipping product. More recent attention has naturally turned to Apple’s redesigned high-end MacBook, which The Apple Post reported could arrive as soon as this fall with an OLED touchscreen, thinner design and Dynamic Island-style display cutout.
That machine has also been linked to possible MacBook Ultra branding, but cellular remains one of the least certain features associated with the redesign. There is currently no reliable reporting confirming that the first OLED touchscreen MacBook will ship with C2, and the modem could instead arrive in a later MacBook generation.
How Apple would sell cellular connectivity on the Mac is also unknown. The company could follow the iPad model and offer cellular as an optional configuration alongside standard Wi-Fi versions, but no pricing, carrier support or data-plan details have been reported.
For MacBook users, the practical benefit would be straightforward: a laptop could remain online while traveling or working away from Wi-Fi without tethering to an iPhone, potentially reducing battery drain on the phone and making mobile connectivity feel more like a built-in part of the Mac experience.
For now, Apple has the modem technology that earlier reporting suggested was needed before a cellular Mac could happen, and the 2026 timing originally identified by Bloomberg has arrived. Whether Apple chooses to include C2 in its next major MacBook redesign remains the unanswered part.
