Radio technology: No Wi-Fi 7 in new Macs, no C1 in new iPads

In addition to the confusion about the processor equipment at the Mac Studio 2025, Apple also leaves question marks in the radio technology equipment of its new products introduced this week. As a look at the specifications shows, Apple has not granted the MacBook Air M4 or the Mac Studio with M4 Max and M3 Ultra current WLAN technology. And despite other rumors, Apple does not install its brand new 5G mobile radio chip C1 in iPad 11 or in the iPad Air M3.

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iPhone 16 can wi-fi 7

WLAN support at the new Mac Studio and MacBook Air gets stuck at Wi-Fi 6e alias 802.11ax-in a combination with Bluetooth 5.3. Apple has long been further. On the iPhone 16-namely the entire device family from the standard model to Pro Max-Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2×2 MIMO is on board. This offers some interesting options with suitable routers.

While the omission of Wi-Fi 7 on the MacBook Air M4 is still present-after all, it is an entry-level model-it is really unsightly at the Mac Studio. These machines buy users for (many) years, you pay at least 2499 euros or 4999 euros for the M4 Max and the M3 Ultra. A maximum of 17,624 euros can be invested for the Mac Studi M3 Ultra. So far, Apple has not indicated what reasons the missing Wi-Fi 7 has. But of course, it is: if the iPhone is possible, it should also be done in the Mac.

C1 remains limited to the iPhone 16E

Another rather negative news about radio technology concerns the C1. Apple's brand new 5G modem including in-house transceiver is not in the new iPads. The manufacturer confirmed this to the Apple blogger John Gruber. Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman previously claimed in December that Apple would integrate the radio chip “possibly as early as 2025 in the entry-level IPADs”.

But both in the iPad 11 and iPad Air M3, modems from Qualcomm are still installed – the specials do not match the C1. So when using it remains in just one device, the iPhone 16E. Here Apple apparently also wants to gain experience “in the Wild” with the fashion chip. The construction cost the group for many years of development work.