Why Apple Won't Release A WiMax-Powered SubnotebookWhy Apple Won't Release A WiMax-Powered Subnotebook

Every now and then, Apple leads the charge with new technology. It was one of the first manufacturers to make Wi-Fi a standard option on some of its laptops. One of the products reported to be making its debut at tomorrow's Macworld keynote is a subnotebook or ultraportable laptop with WiMax built in. I say no way.The reason is pretty simple: Availability. You might call Apple forward thinking, and hope that WiMax will be everywhere in just a few short months, but that's not the case here. Let's explore the existing WiMax networks.

Sprint has a very limited WiMax trial under way in Chicago. Basically only Sprint employees have access to the WiMax network right now. Sprint is planning to kick off more expanded trials in Chicago, and Baltimore-Washington, D.C., sometime later this year. Again, these are trials. Not full deployments. The initial WiMax networks will be available in very select areas, and according to Sprint, it ain't gonna be cheap to sign up. The full launch of Sprint's Xohm WiMax network isn't slated until late in the second half of 2008.

There also is WiMax available as a last-mile technology out in portions of the West and South from provider Clearwire. Clearwire is offering wireless broadband access to communities and regions that aren't served by traditional broadband (i.e., cable, DSL, fiber). But these networks are far from widespread, and are the opposite of Sprint's trial networks in that they mostly cover rural areas rather than urban.

Getting back to Apple. Think for just a moment about the iPhone. Why wasn't a 3G version of this device released from day one? Two reasons; 3G saps battery life, and AT&T's HSDPA 3G network wasn't widespread enough to suit Apple. Instead, it focused on providing a device that takes advantage of AT&T's pervasive 2.5G network, based on EDGE. In other words, it wanted as many people as possible to have the ability to use the iPhone, even if that meant a less-than-optimized experience for everyone.

Very few people will have the opportunity to use a WiMax network now or in the short-range future (the next 6 months or so). Why would anyone pay a premium for technology that they can't even use?

It just doesn't wash. Will there be a new notebook and/or laptop from Apple tomorrow? You betcha. But it won't have WiMax.