Time Capsule - buy now or wait

halfmonkey · Feb 4, 2013

So I believe the current Time Capsule was released a couple of years ago and I'm currently in the market to get one since I can upgrade to take advantage of wireless N because my current router does not support wireless N. Also, I can then use Time Machine to back up my computer so I can kill two birds with one stone.

My question is, do I wait until the next Apple event where they'll announce something or do I buy now because nothing is expected to be announced in the near future regarding the Time Capsule? I know that nobody knows for sure except for people in the know but if you have any thoughts or know of any rumors of when an updated Time Capusle might be released, please share. I don't want to spend $300 now and then in 2 months, Apple releases an updated Time Capusle. That would not be cool.

Weaselboy · Feb 4, 2013

Here is my opinion what will happen. The next, new Time Capsule (TC) will come out with the new 802.11ac standard wifi. But at this point Apple has no client products that support that standard, so there would be no point in releasing the TC with 802.11ac yet.

So I'm thinking we will see new Mac portables mid-year that have Intel's Haswell chipset, and those machines will have 802.11ac support. Then at that time Apple will release a new Time Capsule and Airport Extreme with 802.11ac.

So mid-year is my guess.

Thing is, unless you have a device that supports 802.11ac, the new TC really adds nothing for you. So if you just have N devices, there is not much reason to wait. You can also find the current TC in the refurb store to save some money.

halfmonkey · Feb 4, 2013

Weaselboy said:
Here is my opinion what will happen. The next, new Time Capsule (TC) will come out with the new 802.11ac standard wifi. But at this point Apple has no client products that support that standard, so there would be no point in releasing the TC with 802.11ac yet.

So I'm thinking we will see new Mac portables mid-year that have Intel's Haswell chipset, and those machines will have 802.11ac support. Then at that time Apple will release a new Time Capsule and Airport Extreme with 802.11ac.

So mid-year is my guess.

Thing is, unless you have a device that supports 802.11ac, the new TC really adds nothing for you. So if you just have N devices, there is not much reason to wait. You can also find the current TC in the refurb store to save some money.

Thanks for the quick reply. Aside from the ac standard, is there anything else that could be improved upon on the update? I know the most recent update was so the 2.4 and 5ghz could be broadcast at the same time. Is there any other updates that could be possible that would be worth waiting for?

Weaselboy · Feb 4, 2013

halfmonkey said:
Thanks for the quick reply. Aside from the ac standard, is there anything else that could be improved upon on the update? I know the most recent update was so the 2.4 and 5ghz could be broadcast at the same time. Is there any other updates that could be possible that would be worth waiting for?

There is not anything else in the wifi standard that could be added at this point. They could I suppose further tweak antennas to get better wifi reception, but beyond that on the wifi side there nothing left to add.

There are some software features they could add. For example, the TC does not support QOS like some routers do.

Personally, I think you will see AC added and not much else.

somebody else · Feb 11, 2013

Waiting for TC

I've been waiting for Apple to add USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt to Time Capsule so I don't have to let it sit overnight for the initial setup.

Also, with regards to the limited lifespan, I think the drives might last longer if they're used less frequently and backup faster via either USB 3.0 or TB cables instead of staying on for longer and backing up wirelessly. Or am I way off?

flynz4 · Feb 11, 2013

An upgrade from 3TB to 4TB wouldn't surprise me... especially since the iMacs are now available in 3TB versions. Your backup needs to be larger than your data set.

/Jim

mrmarts · Feb 18, 2013

I need to buy a time capsule now as when i come to purchase a new machine i will have nothing to back my files with. So i am going to go for a 2tb as my current iMac has only 1tb. Than in the future who knows, but these things are too expense.

Mike MA · Feb 23, 2013

Weaselboy said:
There is not anything else in the wifi standard that could be added at this point. They could I suppose further tweak antennas to get better wifi reception, but beyond that on the wifi side there nothing left to add.

There are some software features they could add. For example, the TC does not support QOS like some routers do.

Personally, I think you will see AC added and not much else.

I just would like to join in - I'm facing exactly the same question as my external backup crashed. I also suffer under the fact that my ATV 2 often is not recognized by iTunes or is greyed out - which might be caused by the router provided by my ISP.

So Time Capsule could solve both problems - but I'm also afraid it could be redesigned soon. SSD came up to my mind (but which might be too expensive with the current capacities) or a more slim design. Any idea what the life cycles were in the past?

Thanks

Weaselboy · Feb 23, 2013

Mike MA said:
Any idea what the life cycles were in the past?

Thanks

This shows the previous models and release dates. That said, they don't seem to follow a yearly or regular update update cycle like says iPhones.

Mike MA · Feb 23, 2013

Weaselboy said:
This shows the previous models and release dates. That said, they don't seem to follow a yearly or regular update update cycle like says iPhones.

So my guess will be mid 2013 - the device just appears a bit too big and heavy to me compared to the other Apple accessories being redesigned lately. So probably no new toy for me this spring

Thanks

marzer · Feb 23, 2013

halfmonkey said:
I know the most recent update was so the 2.4 and 5ghz could be broadcast at the same time.

Nope. That happened 4 years ago with the 2 Gen Time Capsule. So essentially the last two generations have had hardware improvements that have been more about power and transmission efficiency improvements, as the router functions have pretty much remained the same.

So if you want something more than what the current wifi standards provide, you're best waiting to see what the "ac" standard brings.

marc11 · Feb 23, 2013

mrmarts said:
I need to buy a time capsule now as when i come to purchase a new machine i will have nothing to back my files with. So i am going to go for a 2tb as my current iMac has only 1tb. Than in the future who knows, but these things are too expense.

Just my opinion but with an iMac you really do not need a time capsule, you can easily plug a USB 2 drive into your machine and just let it sit there for Time Machine back ups. There is not much of an advantage to a time capsule for desktop machines IMHO. You could get a nice huge external USB drive and a refurb Airport Extreme for less than the cost of a Time Capsule.

And this assumes you need the Time Capsule for not only Time Machine but wireless, if you are just getting it for Time Machine, the USB drive is a far cheaper and easier solution.

Mike MA · Mar 8, 2013

marc11 said:
There is not much of an advantage to a time capsule for desktop machines IMHO. You could get a nice huge external USB drive and a refurb Airport Extreme for less than the cost of a Time Capsule.

Agree to most what your saying. But I think you mentioned the real key difference yourself - Time machine is wirelessly backing up all your systems.

marc11 · Mar 8, 2013

Mike MA said:
Agree to most what your saying. But I think you mentioned the real key difference yourself - Time machine is wirelessly backing up all your systems.

Yes, however the post quoted only mentioned an iMac, so wireless back up has really very little advantage for a desktop. Perhaps he has some Macbooks too, then it is different, but with a desktop it is far easier and cheaper to just pop in a USB drive.

steve knight · Mar 8, 2013

I debated on replacing my time machine with another or going separate. That way it is easier to fix and upgraded as needed. you can get 3tb for a little more then the cost of a 2tb time capsule.

flynz4 · Mar 8, 2013

marc11 said:
Yes, however the post quoted only mentioned an iMac, so wireless back up has really very little advantage for a desktop. Perhaps he has some Macbooks too, then it is different, but with a desktop it is far easier and cheaper to just pop in a USB drive.

Personally... I do not like keeping the backup next to the computer. It is too easy to lose both during a smash and grab.

I use Time Capsules located in a different secured part of the house. Everything (except our MacBook Airs) are connected using 1Gb Ethernet.

/Jim

Mike MA · Mar 15, 2013

marc11 said:
Yes, however the post quoted only mentioned an iMac, so wireless back up has really very little advantage for a desktop. Perhaps he has some Macbooks too, then it is different, but with a desktop it is far easier and cheaper to just pop in a USB drive.

Everything is going wireless for quite some time now: keyboards, mouse, printers, whatever. So why should someone stick to a non wireless backup when something like Time Capsule is being offered? Especially when owning such design driven devices like the latest iMac (which are merely most of the desktop Macs being sold) you don't actually want all these cables around your desk. So as you said, the only advantage may be the pricing (and speed) in my opinion.

colodane · Mar 15, 2013

I personally don't use the TimeCapsule since I prefer to keep my router and hard drive functions separate. However, I seem to remember some dialog on the forums about the TimeCapsule running hot or being loud due to fan noise. If this is an actual issue, Apple may address it in the next version with some hardware redesign. If I were in the market for one, my when-to-buy decision might be more influenced by this than by the possible speed enhancements of the new ac standard.

flynz4 · Mar 15, 2013

Mike MA said:
Everything is going wireless for quite some time now: keyboards, mouse, printers, whatever. So why should someone stick to a non wireless backup when something like Time Capsule is being offered? Especially when owning such design driven devices like the latest iMac (which are merely most of the desktop Macs being sold) you don't actually want all these cables around your desk. So as you said, the only advantage may be the pricing (and speed) in my opinion.

Wired ethernet connections are typically more robust. I choose to hardwire things that do not move (iMacs, printers, scanners, NAS, Time Capsules, etc)... and use wireless for mobile devices (MBA, iPad, iPhone, etc).

colodane said:
I personally don't use the TimeCapsule since I prefer to keep my router and hard drive functions separate. However, I seem to remember some dialog on the forums about the TimeCapsule running hot or being loud due to fan noise. If this is an actual issue, Apple may address it in the next version with some hardware redesign. If I were in the market for one, my when-to-buy decision might be more influenced by this than by the possible speed enhancements of the new ac standard.

We have 4 TC's in our house... but none are used as a router. They are simply set up as NAS destinations for our computers (1 per iMac + 1 for all 3 MBAs). The are stored in a separate and secured portion of the house.

/Jim

marc11 · Mar 15, 2013

Mike MA said:
Everything is going wireless for quite some time now: keyboards, mouse, printers, whatever. So why should someone stick to a non wireless backup when something like Time Capsule is being offered? Especially when owning such design driven devices like the latest iMac (which are merely most of the desktop Macs being sold) you don't actually want all these cables around your desk. So as you said, the only advantage may be the pricing (and speed) in my opinion.

A lot faster and more stable, less errors wired over wireless IMHO. And no way am I letting Apple's design dictate what I use with it, I have two thunderbolt and 4 USB ports on my iMac I intend to use them to the fullest I also connect over Ethernet, no reason to go wireless on a desktop when wired is have superior. But that is just me, to each his own.

Time Capsule - buy now or wait

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