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Airport Extreme Air Disk, and 801.11n Upgrades $4.99 [Update]
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STILL CONFUSED
Right, if i buy and Apple TV and the new Apple basestation can i plug my ext Lacie into the Basestation and access it via the Apple TV WITHOUT switching my PC on.
Thanks.
i don't see why not - as long as your ext lacie has its own external power supply
Not a SOX issue, this is a new urban myth methinks
Well, I'm not a definitive expert, but I am finishing 2 years of MBA schooling, with a strong dose of SOX education and ethics work. The rationale quoted from iLounge is silly. There is no issue out there with upgrading existing products for free or otherwise under SOX.
And for the record, feeling rather informed about SOX and its affects, I generally think it is a good law. Implementation is a bit costly and burdensome, but it is a law that finally begins a level of government enforcement of corporate america that chips away at the need for class action lawsuits as a primay enforcer of laws towad corporations. When CEO's and management teams can go to jail for screwing the public, there is real accountability.
Right now, a few small fines don't deter most companies from enacting their goals, good or bad, and huge penalties that shut down companies and hurt innocent employees aren't good either. Class action lawsuits that hurt stock performance and create bad PR are the best enforcement of social norms and laws on corporate america, even if attorneys rape the victims a second time in the process. Laws like SOX, however, finally pave the way for true Torte Reform.
Well, I'm not a definitive expert, but I am finishing 2 years of MBA schooling, with a strong dose of SOX education and ethics work. The rationale quoted from iLounge is silly. There is no issue out there with upgrading existing products for free or otherwise under SOX.
And for the record, feeling rather informed about SOX and its affects, I generally think it is a good law. Implementation is a bit costly and burdensome, but it is a law that finally begins a level of government enforcement of corporate america that chips away at the need for class action lawsuits as a primay enforcer of laws towad corporations. When CEO's and management teams can go to jail for screwing the public, there is real accountability.
Right now, a few small fines don't deter most companies from enacting their goals, good or bad, and huge penalties that shut down companies and hurt innocent employees aren't good either. Class action lawsuits that hurt stock performance and create bad PR are the best enforcement of social norms and laws on corporate america, even if attorneys rape the victims a second time in the process. Laws like SOX, however, finally pave the way for true Torte Reform.
I have no information to substantiate this claim, but I think everyone here is on the wrong track.
I suspect Apple will offer to ship out a CD/DVD installer for a handling cost of $4.95, and offer the same updater as a download off their Support site for free.
It's quite likely that Apple didn't "activate" the draft N modules in previously shipped N-endowed Macs because the spec had yet to be approved. Since it appears as though Apple is more or less waiting for n to move from IEEE to Wi-Fi Alliance status, this all adds up to a plausible explanation.
I suspect Apple will offer to ship out a CD/DVD installer for a handling cost of $4.95, and offer the same updater as a download off their Support site for free.
It's quite likely that Apple didn't "activate" the draft N modules in previously shipped N-endowed Macs because the spec had yet to be approved. Since it appears as though Apple is more or less waiting for n to move from IEEE to Wi-Fi Alliance status, this all adds up to a plausible explanation.
Does this suggest that older models of the Airport Express cards and base stations could be updated to 'n' with a software update? Just asking because I always assumed there was a hardware configuration that made them different as well.
STILL CONFUSED
Right, if i buy and Apple TV and the new Apple basestation can i plug my ext Lacie into the Basestation and access it via the Apple TV WITHOUT switching my PC on.
Thanks.
I watched the keynote and at one point Phil was trying to show his stuff on the apple tv from his macbook.
When he tried to connect he had to enter a passkey.
Which you cannot do with an external drive.
However the drive is directly attached, who knows, i think it should work but the example given above may mean it wont.
Then why are they releasing the Airport Extreme as far as i am aware N is still draft.
Digitalclips said:
Doesnt the speed drop to the lowest on the network. In my house we have 2 Core 2 Duo iMacs (N) 1 Macbook (G) and 1 Dell (B). Which means we will get B speeds?? Or am i misinformed.
Surely the disk is on the USB port what is the connection to the external few Ethernet ports? Am I missing something here? My only thought is why not two USB2 ports, one for drive and one for printer. I guess an additional USB2 hub is easy enough but it's all extra clutter. I'd be happy with zero external Ethernet and two USB2s.
I doubt it, I think the Wi-Fi would be max for whatever the recieving machine's ability. Assuming the source was at the max speed of course.
You plug the disk in to the USB port, but you access it over the network, which is effected by the ethernet (or wireless) speed. I agree they should have had an extra USB, hub is messy.
Found where i read about this
Apple said:
What is wide channel operation, what will i be missing out on.
Still confused then.
Ah well, not like i have any spare money to pay for anything, and 1st gen kit always has its "fun" aspects.
Maybe next year.
Sharing multiple hard disks and printers
While the shared disk capability started being reported, what hasn't been is the new ability to support USB hubs and hence multiple shared disks and printers (or, for that matter, both printers and disks at the same time). This is a very exciting capability in my mind, and serves to really leverage bonjour.
It would have met my needs perfectly if they had also developed an iTunes music server within the device -- as it is, I plan to put all my music files on a shared drive and point iTunes to it as my music library, but such an approach makes it more difficult to have that be a shared resource.
Support for USB hubs is described on the "Sharing" Airport Extreme product page (http://www.apple.com/airportextreme/sharing.html) in a section on the lower right hand corner:
Do everything.
What if youd like to exchange files over your wireless network and still have access to a network printer? Easy. Just connect a USB hub to AirPort Extreme and attach your devices to the hub. Share both a printer and a hard drive, multiple printers, or multiple hard drives.
While the shared disk capability started being reported, what hasn't been is the new ability to support USB hubs and hence multiple shared disks and printers (or, for that matter, both printers and disks at the same time). This is a very exciting capability in my mind, and serves to really leverage bonjour.
It would have met my needs perfectly if they had also developed an iTunes music server within the device -- as it is, I plan to put all my music files on a shared drive and point iTunes to it as my music library, but such an approach makes it more difficult to have that be a shared resource.
Support for USB hubs is described on the "Sharing" Airport Extreme product page (http://www.apple.com/airportextreme/sharing.html) in a section on the lower right hand corner:
Do everything.
What if youd like to exchange files over your wireless network and still have access to a network printer? Easy. Just connect a USB hub to AirPort Extreme and attach your devices to the hub. Share both a printer and a hard drive, multiple printers, or multiple hard drives.
Someone brought this up on another thread, but I wonder if Time Machine will be able to use an Air Disk as a place to backup to.
From what I've seen so far, I don't think so. In the keynote, the Apple TV acted very much like an iPod, in that it needs iTunes to get users content over to it.
If the disk is plugged in to the Airport Extreme's USB2 port and the Macs are all wireless (which is how I think 95% of people will have it setup), then GigE ports don't add much value. I know my TiVo and Vonage box (the only things I'll be plugging into the AE) won't notice the difference.
I choose to believe the accounting issues have workarounds
Like: charge for the update, but give everyone a free coupon anyway; then take the bandwidth as a tax writeoff. Everybody wins
Then again, I have nothing (yet) that I would send data to/from at g speeds, much less n.
Like: charge for the update, but give everyone a free coupon anyway; then take the bandwidth as a tax writeoff. Everybody wins
Then again, I have nothing (yet) that I would send data to/from at g speeds, much less n.
ok so I'm confused. I purchased my iMac in October/November 2006... how do I know if I have the "n" hardware?
Well Apple put 3 ethernet ports on there, so they must be anticipating some people using it as a traditional wired router.
List is here:
http://www.apple.com/wireless/80211/
These Mac computers support 802.11n in the new AirPort Extreme Base Station using the included enabler software:
- iMac with Intel Core 2 Duo (except 17-inch, 1.83GHz iMac)
- MacBook with Intel Core 2 Duo
- MacBook Pro with Intel Core 2 Duo
- Mac Pro with AirPort Extreme card option
See here
Apple said:
Edit: Need a faster internet connection, (see above). Well i need to sort out my mac harddrive, been having lots of problems with lots of stuff recently and it is results in painfully slow internet.
Ah. Thats too bad, though I just looked and there's no where that I would connect that has N, so I'm not too disappointed (yet)...