Well I have IDSL (not to be confused with ISDN) and it's the only 'high speed' service available in my area (about 30 miles northeast of Minneapolis). It's about three times faster than 56k, and it costs over $100 a month. Luckily, my dad's business is paying for it, but I sure hope we get cable internet soon (stupid cable companies have been promising it will arrive in six months for years now). It does cost about the same (maybe less or more, I'm not sure) to have a second dedicated modem phone line and unlimited Earthlink access as it does to have unlimited cable internet ($40 a month). It just depends on the area. We still need modems to cover people who live a ways away (like me) or people who rarely use the internet (like my grandfather).
Doesn't bluetooth hop around on different frequencies and cause some problems for airport? It might only do this for 802.11b because they are both 2.4 GHz.
When Geodesic is done. Then we can all hang up our silly little modems, cable modems and dsl lines. Cause they will all be obsolete. You'll have 1 internal antenna that works anywhere at any altitude as long as you can see the sky.
Of course all children born after that date will suffer genetic mutations. People freak over the radiation cell phones generate communicating with a tower a few miles away. Geodesic laptops would be like having a unshielded microwave in your lap, by comparison.
Any other standard is wide-spread enough to replace it. So far the only option that could potentially replace the phone line is powerline, which again, is available in about 5% of the area of about 1 out of 150 countries in the world. And DSL si still ways off of being wide-spread.
A modem is a wonderful thing, and it's so dirt cheap, there's no reason why Apple should ditch it.
I'm willing to bet 60-70% of all net users still connect with a modem. In general they will never go away because there are a lot of rural communities who are probably too far away from the CO to ever get DSL, and who are so small that the cable companies will never waste the time / money to upgrade their router boxes and the like.
Both bluetooth and airport use frequency hopping. Airport has 11 'channels', which are bands that it hops within.
Bluetooth apparently has 'unfriendly' hopping behaviour, in that it doesnt look to see if the frequency it is hopping to is occupied.
But, both of them note frequencies that cause interference and mark them as unusable.
So, after a brief startup period, they _should_ reach a stable allocation of frequencies they can both use without stepping on each others feet.
When we get to a scenario where there are many devices competing for the same frequencies then I think that both systems will have problems, regardless of the other. You got twenty airport networks nearby, well tuff luck, theres only 11 channels. Throw a few hundred bluetooth devices in there, and it will get messy. Seem unlikely, Im sure it could happen in a high rise - offices or appartments.
Only 20% of the United States uses broadband... and even those people have outages, travel, have laptops, may change back and forth between dialup and broadband... So I'd say that it'll be quite a while before we see full removal of the modem and no BTO option to get it.
We ordered DSL months ago, we got our modem package three and a half weeks ago, and guess what? It does not work! They are supposed to confirm that everything works before sending the package. We have now been without DSL for three and a half weeks. Just for this reason alone, modems are not going anywhere.
Though do you guys remember when some Sawtooth models initially did not come with modems?
Do you mean they would use Airport instead of Bluetooth? I don't see what you are getting at. Bluetooth and Airport are two very different things. That's like saying Apple will abandon USB, because firewire is faster.</strong><hr></blockquote>
They are very different, but they can be combined into a single card. Apple will keep both technologies because both airport and bluetooth devices will be able to use one single card, therefore cutting cost and increasing compatibility. For example: If you had a bluetooth keyboard and a 802.11 internet connection, you could still send e-mail. Your computer doesn't need 2 antennas for the same frequency spectrum.
Okay, this might be a little tangent, but can you fax through the modem on your Airport? I have a Quicksilver G4 without a modem, and it occured to me the other day when I wanted to fax something that I could do it through the computer, but not without a modem...but I do have Airport....anyone know?
Comments
You think Mac marketshare is too small now?
Of course all children born after that date will suffer genetic mutations. People freak over the radiation cell phones generate communicating with a tower a few miles away. Geodesic laptops would be like having a unshielded microwave in your lap, by comparison.
[ 06-06-2002: Message edited by: Plague Bearer ]
[ 06-06-2002: Message edited by: Plague Bearer ]</p>
Apple is going to drop the modem, when:
Any other standard is wide-spread enough to replace it. So far the only option that could potentially replace the phone line is powerline, which again, is available in about 5% of the area of about 1 out of 150 countries in the world. And DSL si still ways off of being wide-spread.
A modem is a wonderful thing, and it's so dirt cheap, there's no reason why Apple should ditch it.
G-News
They're still useful, even if they are inferior technology.
Until broadband wiring extends across the country in the same density as phone lines, perhaps even relpalcing phone lines, modems wioll remain.
Hmm - a single wired broadband standard would be nice.
Bluetooth apparently has 'unfriendly' hopping behaviour, in that it doesnt look to see if the frequency it is hopping to is occupied.
But, both of them note frequencies that cause interference and mark them as unusable.
So, after a brief startup period, they _should_ reach a stable allocation of frequencies they can both use without stepping on each others feet.
When we get to a scenario where there are many devices competing for the same frequencies then I think that both systems will have problems, regardless of the other. You got twenty airport networks nearby, well tuff luck, theres only 11 channels. Throw a few hundred bluetooth devices in there, and it will get messy. Seem unlikely, Im sure it could happen in a high rise - offices or appartments.
Though do you guys remember when some Sawtooth models initially did not come with modems?
P.S. Never get Earthlink!
[ 06-07-2002: Message edited by: the_unknown_source ]</p>
<strong>Though do you guys remember when some Sawtooth models initially did not come with modems?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Not just sawtootstshs... My B&W 400 has no modem. And I don't miss it.
<strong>
Do you mean they would use Airport instead of Bluetooth? I don't see what you are getting at. Bluetooth and Airport are two very different things. That's like saying Apple will abandon USB, because firewire is faster.</strong><hr></blockquote>
They are very different, but they can be combined into a single card. Apple will keep both technologies because both airport and bluetooth devices will be able to use one single card, therefore cutting cost and increasing compatibility. For example: If you had a bluetooth keyboard and a 802.11 internet connection, you could still send e-mail. Your computer doesn't need 2 antennas for the same frequency spectrum.
We'll see what's what when card is released.
EDIT- Spelling
[ 06-08-2002: Message edited by: Ebby ]</p>
[ 06-08-2002: Message edited by: Dave Hagan ]</p>