AirportBaseStation
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Apple announces new AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule with 802.11ac (update)
As the news from WWDC continues to flow, Apple has just announced a new AirPort Extreme base station. It's 4 inches wide and 6.5-inches tall with support for simultaneous dual-band 802.11 ac and has a "beamforming" antenna configuration to enhance performance. Also announced is the AirPort Time Capsule, which has similar specs as the Extreme but has a built-in hard drive in either 2TB or 3TB configurations. Should go nice with those new MacBook Airs right? Update: We've learned the AirPort Extreme is $199 while the AirPort Time Capsule is priced at $299 for the 2TB version and $399 for the 3TB model. We've included links to the product pages below if you'd like more specs or just want to place an order for one. Follow all of our WWDC 2013 coverage at our event hub.
Apple issues new AirPort and Time Capsule firmware, Airport Utility
It's a banner day for updates to all things AirPort. Apple has released version 7.6.3 of its AirPort Base Station and Time Capsule firmware, along with version 6.2 of the AirPort Utility for OS X 10.7.5 and later. The updated AirPort Base Station and Time Capsule firmware brings with it the ability to extend Guest WiFi on networks featuring multiple Base Station units. It also lets you add WPS-capable WiFi printers and adds support for additional countries. It's compatible with all 802.11n AirPort Extreme, AirPort Express and Time Capsule devices. Apple recommends having AirPort Utility 5.6 or later installed on your computer before performing the firmware update. Speaking of AirPort Utility, it's been bumped up to version 6.2 to add the necessary settings for configuring the aforementioned Guest WiFi and WPS printer capabilities. Hit Software Update to download both it and the new firmware. Hat tip to Wheat Williams!
Airport Utility 6.0 flies right into the iCloud, leaves old AirPorts behind
The latest version of Apple's Airport Utility software has arrived, alongside those iCloud-supporting firmware updates for the company's network hardware, including the AirPort Extreme, the AirPort Express and Time Capsule. Unfortunately, Airport Utility 6.0 doesn't support pre-2007 models, that is; 802.11g-only devices. As we already know, iCloud support requires the new release, running on OSX Lion and if you're still clinging onto your MobileMe account, we've got more bad news -- this won't work with the new software either. Fortunately, you'll still be able to configure (firmware-updated) older models with previous AirPort Utility versions. TidBITS has gone into fine detail on compatibility changes, so be sure to check the source if there's any niggling doubts.
Apple updates Airport stations and Time Capsule, brings bug fixes and iCloud support
It looks as if the Final Cut Pro X update wasn't the only software refresh Cupertino folks had in store for us. In this particular case, it's the company's networking and backup goods -- also known as Airport Express, Extreme and Time Capsule -- that are on the receiving end of the virtual enhancements. The 802.11n stations are getting a fix that solves "an issue with wireless performance," while the capsule is seeing some much needed iCloud support. Additional Apple cloud integration doesn't stop there, as you'll also be able to remotely access your Airport disk. Though, it's worth mentioning that in order to take full advantage you'll have to update your Airport Utility to the latest version (6.0). That means you'll also need Lion, so those of you keepin' your OS X old school with Snow Leopard will be out of luck on using some of the new features. Looking to up your wireless game? Hit up the source link for the full details.
Time Capsule and AirPort Base Station (802.11n) Firmware 7.3.2
Along with the Mac OS X 10.5.4 update tonight, Apple also released firmware 7.3.2 for Time Capsules and AirPort Base Stations. Apple states that it "includes general fixes and compatibility updates" for both Time Capsule and AirPorts with 802.11n. Most likely your AirPort (or Time Capsule) will find and download the update automatically; however, you can also visit the Apple Support Downloads page to download the installer package for Leopard, Tiger, or Windows. Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Apple leads PC World's 50 Best Tech Products of All Time
Everybody likes lists and rankings; there's just something that fascinates people about them, and they're always good for an argument or, as the case may be, selling magazines. Squarely in this latter camp is PC World's list of the Best 50 Tech Products of All Time, which editor Harry McCracken writes in to tell us features seven Apple products, more than any other singe company. These are: #2 - Apple II (1977) #6 - iPod (2001) #14 - Mac Plus (1986) #21 - iTunes 4 (2003) #30 - OS X (2001) #34 - Original Airport Base Station (1999) #41 - Hypercard (1987) One thing that jumps out of this list to me is that only one of them, Hypercard, came out of Cupertino during the period that Jobs was gone from Apple (well maybe the Mac Plus, too). In any case, it clearly shows how much Apple has been on a roll since Jobs' return. I also think that at least one more product should be there: the original Powerbook 100, which more or less established the notebook computer form factor we have to this day. So let the debates begin, dear TUAW readers, what did the PC World editors screw up?
Another potential fix for Intel Mac + Airport station problems
If you're using an Intel Mac with any of Apple's AirPort base stations, you might have noticed some 'less than stellar' performance after updating to 10.4.8, as well as wonky connection problems that Apple tried issuing a support doc for. As an owner of both a MacBook and an Intel Core 2 Duo iMac, I can personally vouch that Apple's doc has a ways to go before it solves this most frustrating of wireless problems.While troubleshooting this issue over the weekend, I came across a few new threads at Apple's discussion forums for AirPort and, more specific to my setup, the AirPort Express. In particular, this AirPort Express-related thread contains some theories and potential solutions from other users in a similar boat. Being that it is now Wednesday, I'm happy to say one of them seems to be working well for me so far, though your mileage may obviously vary. Here's a rundown of my personal setup and the remedy that's bringing some sanity back to my wireless world: typically, I roll with WPA2 Personal security, and since these sketchy connection issues began I've been playing with settings like Interference Robustness and adjusting my APE's (AirPort Express) channel, etc., but to no avail. As it turns out, users in these forums are beginning to suspect wireless security (at least WPA, not sure about WEP, which seems to be making the ill-advised list these days anyway) as part of the problem, so I simply reset my station with no security. For the past three days, this setup has been working like a charm, though it's understandable if no security simply isn't an option for some users. To help keep our network to ourselves, I turned on 'Create a closed network' in the AirPort tab of the AirPort Admin Utility (that's Apple-speak for "hide SSID"), which simply meant I had to type in my network's name manually from the AirPort menubar item - but you should only have to do this once.Again, YMMV, but there are a few potential solutions in Apple's discussion forums for these increasingly frustrating AirPort connectivity issues. Let's hope we don't have to keep jury-rigging our base stations for long, and Apple can issue a fix so the "it just works" reputation can actually apply to these things again.
