Stealth update time in Apple-land this morning, as Time Capsule has doubled in storage to 1TB/2TB configurations ($299/$499). The dual-band routers inside the Time Capsule, identical to those in the latest Airport Extremes, support both fast 802.11n networking for modern computers, and simultaneously, 802.11g for mobile devices like the iPhone and iPod touch.
If you’ve been wanting to go dual-band and have a hankering to hunker down with a 2TB hard drive as well, Apple now has a glossy white option just for you:
Back up a lifetime’s worth of memories with the Time Capsule, a wireless hard drive that works seamlessly with Time Machine in Mac OS X Leopard. It’s also a full-featured 802.11n Wi-Fi base station with simultaneous dual-band support.1 Choose from 1TB and 2TB models.
If it’s a Tuesday, it’s even odds Apple might be launching some new iteration of some wonderifical product. Could be something as small as a new iPod color or Mac processor speed bump, or as big as a complete re-design (without buttons, ‘natch!). Or it could be nothing — routine maintenance is such a Tuesday tease.
We’ll know soon enough. In the meantime, we’ll just speculate it might be a new 2TB version of the iPhone friendly Time Capsule router+hard drive, or maybe Apple has finally decided to sell their iUnicorn tears directly to the public?
We’ll know soon enough, but please do drop your guesses, expert and outlandish, in the comments…
Owner of a previous generation Airport Extreme or Time Capsule WiFi router and jealous of the newer versions Apple dropped this week? Well, while you can’t shove the drool-inducing, iPhone-friendly dual-radios into the older tech, you can now upgrade them to firmware 7.4.1 which includes the new MobileMe / Back to My Mac sharing feature for AirDisks.
Fire up Software Update and go get it!
(Via @TUAW)
UPDATE: MacRumors also found remote file access for MobileMe users:
Access files on a networked drive from anywhere – Allows MobileMe subscribers to register their AirPort Express Base Station or Time Capsule with their MobileMe account, providing them access to their files from anywhere via the Internet. Drives will appear in the Finder sidebar like any other attached drive, acting just like a personal file server with remote access.
ORIGINAL: It was rumor, it is now fact. Apple has released new versions of their Airport Extreme (WiFi router) and Time Capsule (WiFi router + HD) base stations, with simultaneous dual-band Wi-Fi:
For maximum range and compatibility, AirPort Extreme works simultaneously on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, allowing all the devices on the network to use the most efficient band automatically. And AirPort Extreme uses the latest 802.11n wireless technology so you can enjoy up to five times the performance and up to twice the range of 802.11g wireless networks.
Think of it as having 2 lanes on your WiFi highway. While your 802.11g iPhone is out taking a Sunday drive on your network, it’s no longer blocking traffic in front of your screaming fast 802.11n MacBook.
The only other new feature we could find was Guest Accounts:
Now you can set up a separate Wi-Fi network with a separate password for your visitors. Simply enable the new guest networking feature, and your guests can use the Internet but can’t access other parts of your private network, such as your computers, printers, and attached hard drives.
Anyone going to upgrade? Anyone in the market for a new router going to consider one of these?
Mac Mini, iMac? Check. Check. Mac Pro. Check. Airport Extreme. Check. Time Capsule. Check. Yep, that’s the rumor list Apple just plowed through one after the other, with nary anything resembling a “Spotlight on Desktops” Event in sight.
Nary anything, aside from the friendliness of the new routers, approaching iPhone updates either — though we imagine new developers eyeing Macs to get into iPhone App-making with have their hands, and charge cards, full today.
You getting anything?
Since all current and previous iPhone (and iPod touch) devices have 802.11b/g WiFi, if placed on a faster, wider-range 802.11n network, they typically cause such networks to downgrade to 802.11b/g speeds for compatibility. This means your hyper-fast router will slow down your iMac or MacBook whenever your iPhone hits the network…
…But maybe not for much longer?
Apple Insider reports that the FCC has just been hit with new versions of the Airport Extreme (802.11n Router) and Time Capsule (802.11n Router + HD for Time Machine backup) that handle things a tad more gracefully:
The documents appear to indicate that Apple is adding a combined mode, allowing its AirPort base stations to simultaneously support iPhones and other 802.11b/g devices operating at 2.4 GHz, while also broadcasting 802.11n wide signals in the 5GHz band to maximize throughput for notebooks and devices such as Apple TV. Existing models can only run in one mode or the other, providing either wide compatibility or the highest possible network performance, but not both.
While only the most power-mad of power users will likely ditch their old Airport Extreme or Time Capsule for the latest/greatest, the new features should appeal to iPhone users looking for high-quality routers to round out their setups.
Now who wants one?
Another countdown to Macworld, another rumor! This one says that Apple is developing a turbo-boosted version of Time Capsule that would offer HP Media Smart Server-like capabilities. Some of the more nifty, iPhone related features, according to 9to5Mac, could include:
The device will tie in MobileMe with an Apple built-in Dynamic DNS system. For instance, if your MobileMe account was “9to5mac”, your domain name would be “9to5mac.me.com”. This is how you’d reach your filesystem throughout the Internet. Your media would also reside here. [...] Sharing media with iPod Touch and iPhones both over the Internet and while at home. AppleTV as well.
Hey, if multiple drives and RAID-5 (RAID-6!) are in the cards, it might even be a viable Drobo alternative — something that’s already the darling of the Apple community…
