WiMax module prices nearly double WiFi chip prices
Not huge news here since you typically expect to pay more when you get more in terms of features, but according to DigiTimes, Intel has stated their initial WiMax module pricing. Good to know if you shop for a notebook and are curious as to the resellers markup. It looks like a wireless module that supports both 802.11 a/g/n and WiMax will cost device manufacturers between $43 and $54 each. Similar chipsets with 802.11 a/g/n only? $19 to $30 a piece.The saddest news of all out of this? What happened to poor ol’ 802.11b? Actually, I think 802.11b was just overlooked by DigiTimes based on this PDF overview of WiMax & WiFi direct from Intel. The older and slower wireless standard should still be supported with the Echo Peak WiMax chip. There’s plenty more “light” reading in the PDF that should help you for “Trivial Pursuit: The Wireless Edition”, so have it.
802.11g is compatible with 802.11b. Saying something is 802.11g compatible implies that it is extremely likely it can fall back to 802.11b.
Is WIMAX expected to eliminate the need for a separate WWAN hardware? If so, the cost seems reasonable.
Yes, it could eventually supplant today’s 3G connections, but it will likely take several years to have the same footprint / coverage of today’s 3G networks. Bear in mind these costs aren’t the costs to the consumer either. You’ll likely see WiMax data cards priced like today’s 3G cards.
Can someone possibly explain what WiMax is?
Intel’s supposed plan to make WiMAX the WWAN standard is/was to make sure every new laptop ships with it, and hope that providers would decide to build out WiMAX rather than HSDPA/EVDO. WiMAX is classified by most as 4G. Unfortunately, it looks to me as if Intel has been late to the built-in game. The Sony laptop I bought last year came out of the box with a Sprint EVDO Rev. A card inside. The first round has definitely gone to EVDO (in the US). We’ll see if WiMAX, with its tighter standards, and massive Intel influence can secure the second, and future rounds.
Bryan … Wikipedia and Google are your friends.