high speed Bluetooth will allow connection through new 3G iPhone.

They only want the iPod Touch/ iPhone/ unreleased iTablet to become their "mainstream mobile platform".

I think it's just a bad business/design decision.

The room taken up by 3G, in a larger sense, is bigger than just the chip. You got antenna (it would have to be separate from the WiFi, or not?) and the battery to run it. Also the PCB space in the Air seems to be a a huge premium. So room could indeed be part of it. It isn't likely the whole story though. Because of their relationship with AT&T there might be some constraints, explicit or implicit, on rolling out a product that would work on a different cell network.

P.S.  An extra $23 part, just by itself, would represent %6 of their profits (assuming they are maintaining the traditional 20% margin). Nothing to sneeze at.

its probably business strategy. they know that if you're willing to shell out the cash you'll probably buy the 3G version even though your laptop is only 9 months old

The reason was that the iPhone doesn't have the chip. The MBA is so ultra portable that it would be able to be used as a 3G phone with appropriate headset/mic. A trivial exercise for 3rd party developers / hackers / unlockers if unsupported by Apple. Then the iPhone would be less desirable.

I'm 100% happy that the MBA does not have 3G.  I find it a positive selling point that there is so little techonology built into the MBA that will be outdated in a year or two. 

That said I do wish it had a gigabit ethernet jack since USB can't do gigabit speeds.

iphone sdk will allow edge connection while iphone is docked

No need to dock it, you can use ad-hoc wifi network. Or Bluetooth, like proper people.

because not all of us live in the us! So we wouldnt be able to have the 3G benefits in other countries around the world. D'oh!

Hello All!

It is really good that MBA does not have the 3G modem installed. Do not forget that this kind of modem supposed to be super duper universal. In Europe most of operators using UMTS/HSDPA networks with frequency 2100 MHz but there is other options like 850 MHz (i.e. Australia) and 1900 MHz. USA operators in most cases using something based on CDMA2000 Rev. A (EV-DO). With this standard same story, many different frequencies starting 450 MHz.

Do not forget, it is travel device and USA is not only place to sell or travel around.

Besides, it is easier for Apple to keep unified platform across the world. So in case any troubles you can visit any Apple service point and have proper service. Just an example to give you an idea what i mean. My colleague brought HP laptop from US (i am living in Europe). Result is, he had some problems with his laptop. He was rejected with to service his laptop cause it is model which specific only for US market so they just do not have spares for it and to proceed with order will take up to 2-3 weeks. That is the story...

Besides you can have same 3G access using any modern mobile phone by NOKIA, Motorola or Sony Ericsson connected via Bluetooth...

why add so much to the price of it by including 3G in every one, while most people won't be using it?

and because you can get an external USB 3g modem (yes, even if you have to use a USB extension cable, that at lest some models (like the sierra wireless 881U have built-in batteries.

How is it that everyone loses their minds over things like this when they probably also go out and defend apple's included hardware is either forward-thinking ( like opting out of a floppy drive) or necessary to the user experience (firewire for external storage and DV input)?

i chose wimax in the poll because i´d say wimax is already implemented and will can/be unlocked by 1,49 $ and 1,99 € in europe as it was with the elder macbooks´n pros with n-wifi
i´d wish that they unlock the mbp for gestures as in mba
yeah for free

cheers

I suspect a Business model issue.
The revenue sharing of the iPhone is such a mess out of US (users habits, regulations, etc... + huge amount of unlocked inside US), that I suspect Apple waits to sort all this out before any new use of GSM/Edge/3G module on anything Apple branded.
The room issue is not trivial either. It's not the chip, but the way to introduce a convenient slot for the sim card. But in my opinion this is just a secondary alibi.

We are not in an era that laptops are equiped with 3G and 3G network is not common everywhere yet.  In Canada, 3G is just starting and pricy.  If you want to surf the internet on a laptop using 3G, that will consume a huge amount of data usage and it will cost a lot with no ceiling.

I blame AT&T.

I bet the exclusivity is NOT JUST iPhone, but all wireless.  If they want to do 3G, they have to partner with AT&T.  Since the carrier is not ready, why bother to load the HW?  Don't incur the costs until you can have an iPhone-like activation for 3G.

When Apple has 3G where they are happy with package size and energy efficiency, the SAME package will be put in iPhone and MBA.  And when AT&T has 3G that's worth a crap, you can buy an MBA with 3G, activate over iTunes, and have an AppleTax on your 3G MBA.

Steve Jobs said something about giving choice for wireless carriers being a problem if 3G were embedded. which really means that they should have put a slot in just as they have on the MBP for adding your own card.

In the USA we have choices from Sprint, Verizon and AT&T, Tmobile in terms of 3G broadband. There are probably new generation GSM that handle multi-frequency GSM, but then what do you do about Verizon/Vodaphone?

Intel is builing WiMAX into their chipset, but there is no nationwide deployment of WiMax towers or firms that you can sign up with for nationwide coverage. Perhaps some pockets of regional coverage, but clearwire or whoever has to step up.

But this could have been a BTO option for folks. But then you are really committed to GSM or CDMA. Since Apple is going 3G GSM anyway, that would have been the better option. Then at least you could choose between the US GSM providers.

Let's wait for the 700MHz auction to see what will be "the next big thing".

3G is already obsolete!

Many CIO's of major companies cannot see the reason to pay the high monthly charges for 3G: When their people are travelling, they are almost always work during the day in an office with wireless access. So they don't need 3G.

This is something that the idiots that claim to be managers at Sprint have not yet learned: I only hope for their remaining employees sake they are not betting their company on 3G.

If they are stuck in an airport, most major airports offer WiFi access for a nominal charge, or you can get it for free in your airline club room if you have a long layover.

And when their company travellers stay in a hotel room at night, most CIO's require company employees to choose hotels that offer free WiFi access.

So where is the business case for 3G? There is not one, IMHO.

Why would Apple want to even offer WiMax/3G in any of their laptops?

Why do I need to pay for something that maybe only 1% of all business travellers will use?

Because it's just not necessary... If I want to connect via 3.5G, I'll just connect via Bleutooth/My Nokia... We don't want apple to build in ADSL modems do we? Why would you build in stuff that's already available externally?

3G would cause problems with the aerodynamics whilst using the Air as a frisbee