14 DAY TRIAL // Two pictures are making the rounds today purporting to show the wireless card which Apple plans on using in its next-generation Macs. The leak matches strings of code discovered in a Mountain Lion test build, seemingly attesting the rumor.
According to a relatively recent discovery in the code that makes up OS X 10.8.4, Apple plans to introduce its Macintosh fan base to 5G Wi-Fi, a faster wireless standard possible only with some fancy new hardware too.
And it seems that new hardware has been discovered, as reports over at tonymacx86.com indicate.
Describing the contents of the images displayed on the left, moderator “beelzebozo” says it shows “a Broadcom BCM94360CD PCI-E mini custom combo WLAN+Bluetooth card.”
“More importantly, it looks like it supports IEEE 802.11ac; the next standard in wireless computer networking as well as a NGFF standard which is meant to improve area and Z-height, Layout, Interface support, and Flexibility,” the poster adds.
Reducing cost and design complexity, these standards are on par with Apple’s stringent requirements for great functionality with the least amount of impact on the computer’s resources (CPU, battery life, etc.).
Like us, the poster speculates that Apple is expected to introduce a new range of Macs based on Intel’s new Haswell specification.
While the RAM and storage are likely to remain unchanged, Apple will most likely upgrade the CPU and the wireless capabilities of its new MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs.
A new Mac Pro isn’t out of the question either. In fact, if Tim Cook’s comments from last year are to be believed, we’re in for an insanely great workstation.
Also worth noting is that Apple has been granted a patent for a “Pro” Magic Mouse which could finally bring Mac gaming on par with Windows gaming / consoles.
