Intel will ship WiMax cards this year
By Evan Blass 
posted Mar 8th 2006 9:07AM
posted Mar 8th 2006 9:07AM
Intel's General
Manager of their mobility group, Sean Maloney, has announced that the company is planning on shipping WiMax cards
sometime during the second half of this year. WiMax, the
long-range wireless broadband technology, looked to be further away from deployment than Intel's announcement now
indicates, but Maloney says that "we are now at the point where there is a clear coalescing around the 2.3GHz to
2.5GHz, 3.5 GHz, and 5GHz bands" which should cover most of the planet. During his keynote, Maloney also gave the
first public demonstration of a chip that is both WiFi and WiMax-capable, designed to give consumers an option during
the predicted-three-year transition period.
Something I've always wondered about WiMax - is it intended to be a replacement for WiFi in the home as well as in the public? I mean, I expect to see this blanketing cities in 5 years, and even bringing broadband to rural areas, but I've always found Wireless G to be pretty spotty at home, and would love something with a bit more power. Is WiMax overkill? Is wireless N going to solve all of my problems - like finally being able to stream audio and video around the house without stuttering and interference? And finally, what about Apple support?
Sheesh, what a long question.
Hi Dalton,
maybe WiMAX will eventually bypass WiFi but definately not within the next couple of years. When Intel implements dual mode chips (WiFi and WiMAX) and you've got your personal broadband connections all the time, with no xDSL, Cable or other broadband subscription it's almost useless to use WiFi. And yes, the WiFi N-standard will probably solve your problems with video streams.
Apple + Intelchips = WiMAX
I'd be asking moreso than what about Apple, what about D-Link, Linksys, Belkin, Buffalo and other manufacturers of wireless networking products.
Don't let me forget Cisco on the professional/industrial/commercial level either..
Then there are the OEMs that make the radio chipsets as well..
Apple really doesn't matter in that realm, they will put in their systems (Like Dell, HP, Gateway etc..) whatever the standard for WiMAX calls for. If it takes off, it's another revenue stream for Intel..
It would be nice if everything here wasn't "What about Apple"
Am I right to get really excited about this? How long until urban centres get free wi-max, and I can ditch my cellfone contract, landline rental, broadband subscription, and possibly TV licence (uk thing). Triple-play for free? Will this kill the telcos (I hope so!)?
WiMax is still 100% physics-defying marketing hype.
JL: Sure, I'll be glad to see other vendors building the equipment. But if it isn't compatable with my computer, then why would I care? I've been patiently waiting to see if Apple upgrades Airport Extreme for a while now... I assume the next generation will be based on 802.11N, but it doesn't hurt to ask.
So, WiFi out and WiMax in?
But what about all the cities on the US that have planes for City-WiFi? There are some cities in Sweden that are building wireless broadband but they are all using WiMax.