CW: One More Thing for the New MacBooks - Wireless USB

September 22nd, 2008 at 3:00 PM - News by John Martellaro

Last week, Seth Weintraub at Computerworld made a list of likely technologies to appear in the new Apple MacBooks. On Tuesday, he spotted something that caused him to add one more thing to the possible list: Wireless USB.

What caught his eye was a photo uploaded to flickr which, while it may not be authentic, got him thinking about the little black box in the photo. That box could be a wireless USB hub, Mr. Weintraub theorized.

Wireless USB is not a pipe dream. Back in April, USB.org noted that the USB Implementors Forum (USB-IF) announced that wireless USB products would be coming soon from Lenovo and NEC. The design specification calls for 480 Mbps at 3 meters, but thatis likely a theoretical maximum. In any case, the technology is at hand.

With a rumored high-tech trackpad, SSD drive option, and a possible wireless USB capability, the new MacBooks and MacBook Pros are starting to look well worth the wait.