It’s safe to say if you’re reading this post, you’re using a device with a wireless connection as the days of wired connections are slowly going off into the sunset. Sure, wired connections are more reliable, secure and faster than wireless, but if today’s rumor turns out to be true, we can be sure speed won’t be a deciding factor when deciding between wired and wireless connections.
According to sources familiar with Apple’s plans for their upcoming Macs, the company has made a deal with Broadcom to supply chipsets compatible with 802.11ac.
If you’re unfamiliar with 802.11ac, think 802.11n’s 450Mbps speeds with only a single antennae where the 802.11n requires three. If routers begin supporting 802.11ac, it’s possible speeds of 1.3Gbps can be achieved within a home network if the router is equipped with three antennas.
As of now, Broadcom is one of a handful of chip makers who are able to provide chipsets with 802.11ac support. Hopefully if this rumor turns out to be true, we can probably expect a wider adoption of 802.11ac, which means faster wireless speeds in the coming years.