Apple Hiring for Wireless 802.11ac System Test Engineers

Adding to existing rumors that Apple is planning to add high speed 802.11ac wireless networking to its lineup later in 2013, AppleBitch notes that Apple has posted a job listing for a System Test Engineer with expertise with 802.11ac network environments.

airportextreme

System Test Engineer - Wi-Fi (802.11)

System Test Engineering is looking for an experienced test engineer with excellent problem solving and communications skills. In this role, you will be testing, automating, leading, and working closely with the entire cross-functional team to ensure quality for Macintosh products.

- Technical knowledge of WiFi (802.11a,b,g, ac) and Ethernet network environments

802.11ac should roughly triple the speeds seen with the current 802.11n standard, supporting up to 450 Mbps on one antenna and up to 1.3 Gbps when used with three antennas as on Apple's latest Macs.

There is no indication of when Apple will begin introducing the new standard into existing products.

Related Forum: Networking

Popular Stories

apple intelligence black

Report: Apple's AI Strategy Could Finally Pay Off in 2026

Tuesday December 30, 2025 9:01 am PST by
Apple's restrained artificial intelligence strategy may pay off in 2026 amid the arrival of a revamped Siri and concerns around the AI market "bubble" bursting, The Information argues. The speculative report notes that Apple has taken a restrained approach with AI innovations compared with peers such as OpenAI, Google, and Meta, which are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in data...
apple fitness 2026 1

Apple Teases 'Something Big' Coming Soon to Apple Fitness+

Tuesday December 30, 2025 2:11 pm PST by
The Apple Fitness+ Instagram account today teased that the service has "big plans" for 2026. In a video, several Apple Fitness+ trainers are shown holding up newspapers with headlines related to Apple Fitness+. What's Apple Fitness+ Planning for the New Year? Something Big is Coming to Apple Fitness+ The Countdown Begins. Apple Fitness+ 2026 is Almost Here 2026 Plans Still Under ...
maxresdefault

Hands-On With a Rough iPhone Fold Mockup

Monday December 29, 2025 10:55 am PST by
Apple is rumored to be introducing a foldable iPhone in September 2026, and since it will bring the biggest form factor change since the iPhone was introduced in 2007, curiosity about the design is high. A 3D designer created an iPhone Fold design based on rumors, and we printed it out to see how it compares to Apple's current iPhones. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
maxresdefault

Where's the New Apple TV?

Monday December 22, 2025 11:30 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Apple TV 4K since 2022, and 2025 was supposed to be the year that we got a refresh. There were rumors suggesting Apple would release the new Apple TV before the end of 2025, but it looks like that's not going to happen now. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said several times across 2024 and 2025 that Apple would...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max Users Report Static Speaker Noise While Charging

Tuesday December 30, 2025 10:39 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max owners are having trouble with the speakers of their devices, and have complained about a static or hissing noise that occurs when the iPhone is charging. There are multiple discussions about the issue on Reddit, the MacRumors forums, and Apple's Support Community, where affected users say there is a noticeable static noise "like an old radio." Some people report...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Next Year With These 12 New Features

Tuesday December 23, 2025 8:36 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another nine months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models. The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID Front camera in...
macbook air march 2020

Apple Says Final Intel MacBook Air and Apple Watch Series 5 Now 'Vintage'

Wednesday December 31, 2025 8:39 am PST by
Apple today added the final 13-inch MacBook Air powered by Intel processors, the Apple Watch Series 5, and additional products to its vintage products list. The iPhone 11 Pro was also added to the list after the iPhone 11 Pro Max was added back in September. The full list of products added to Apple's vintage and obsolete list today: MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020) iPhone 8 Plus 128GB ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Monday December 22, 2025 8:47 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple released iOS 26.2, following more than a month of beta testing. It is a big update, with many new features and changes for iPhones. iOS 26.2 adds a Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. Below, we have highlighted a total of eight new features. Liquid Glass Slider on Lock Screen A new slider in the Lock...

Top Rated Comments

KnightWRX Avatar
169 months ago
could someone put those speeds in laymen terms? Would an average user notice any different when surfing the web?
Only if your ISP's link is more than the current 802.11n speeds of 150/300/450/600 mbps.

Which it probably isn't.

----------

Surfing the web will probably stay the same. However, downloading and uploading... :eek:
No, downloading and uploading either, unless again, you're one of the few lucky guys to get an Internet connection at more than the 802.11n bandwidth ratings.

This is for home networking improvements. Your ISP is most probably your current bottleneck to the Internet.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KnightWRX Avatar
169 months ago
What's all this "Likely" weasel word crap? Name a single ISP who has a commercial line even purely downstream above 150-600mbps. Nobody asking about whether or not it will affect them at home has that kind of connection, so give them the right answer.

The answer is no, this isn't going to improve your Internet experience one bit
I want to make no assumptions about people's internet connection. There is 1 Gbps connections offered by ISPs (Google Fiber) to some limited number of markets.

Of course, if you don't know, you most likely don't have a 1 Gbps connection to the Internet, but again, let's not make assumptions. Likely is not a weasel word, it's simply indicating that the responses applies to the vast majority, but not the totality of users.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
blackhand1001 Avatar
169 months ago
I'd like to see what the real speeds end up being cause even with N wireless file transfers are still slower than they would be on fast ethernet (100mbps) and way slower than gigabit. The real rates are never anywhere close to what they say in the specs.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iRCL Avatar
169 months ago
What's all this "Likely" weasel word crap? Name a single ISP who has a commercial line even purely downstream above 150-600mbps. Nobody asking about whether or not it will affect them at home has that kind of connection, so give them the right answer.

The answer is no, this isn't going to improve your Internet experience one bit
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
b0fh Avatar
169 months ago
could someone put those speeds in laymen terms? Would an average user notice any difference when surfing the web?
Think of it in terms of pipes :D:D:D

You have one pipe coming in (DLS/Cable/FIOS/whatever). That's usually between 1Mbps to 30Mbps.

Now, inside the house, you have a giant hose, capable of 150/300/450 Mbps and now 1.3 Gbps.

Will your uploads and downloads go any faster? Why? Why not?

However, if you had multiple wireless devices in the house, and assuming they all support the new standard, then where you were not able to wirelessly stream (from your media server inside the house) 1080p under 802.11a/b/g, but you could with 802.11n, now you can stream it to multiple devices...
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KnightWRX Avatar
169 months ago
YES :) In Layman's terms this will not improve the speed of web browsing, but it will seriously improve Home Sharing (and related uses) when streaming to multiple devices simultaneously and streaming high bit-rate (high quality) and high resolution videos :) please include QoS when this is incorporated into your router product line!

Multiple streams is right. A Blu-ray disc's bitrate is what ? 40 mbps ? 50 mbps ?

This is more for network backups/transfer of large files in your home, basically replacing your Gigabit Ethernet.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)