Edible Apple

In 2012, Apple finally released a revamped iMac that was incredibly sleeker than its predecessor. As we look ahead to 2013, don’t expect any major hardware changes to Apple’s desktop lineup. But if you’re in the mood for significant internal upgrades, Apple may have you covered.

The Next Web is reporting that Apple recently struck a deal with Broadcom wherein the chip maker will provide Apple with a 802.11ac networking chipset, enabling future Macs to take advantage of super fast wireless speeds.

802.11ac is often referred to as 5G WiFi, offering faster throughput, higher capacity, wider coverage and improved power efficiency. Products offering 802.11n connectivity (found in most consumer electronics) provide connections up to 450Mbps with three antennas, while 802.11ac equivalents start at 450Mbps for one antennae and are capable of almost tripling its predecessor with 1.3Gbps throughput via three antennas.

Broadcom describes 5G WiFi as follows: “5G WiFi is the next generation Wi-Fi standard required for today’s mobile and video era and is 3x faster and 6x more power efficient than previous generation 802.11an devices. Based on 802.11ac, 5G WiFi is a major evolutionary step from the existing 802.11a/b/g/n networks.”

The report notes that Broadcom’s work on the new WiFi chip remains in development but hopefully we’ll be seeing them trickle into Apple’s Mac lineup sooner than later.