Apple Announces Time Capsule

[eme jota ce]

So 3 weeks ago I spent $159 on an Airport Extreme and $120 on Leopard so I could plug my $120 HD into for Time Machine when they finally updated it to support backups wirelessly. Now Im out all that. Unbelievable.

Same here. Not happy about it.

It's true that I bought and 802.11n and pre-ordered when the Leopard feature set was still subject to change. When Leopard pulled the feature upon release, it was disappointing but seemed that the company would likely add the feature back into the OS once it was improved. After all, reports on this site said the early releases of Leopard had the feature and it worked.

Now, there's a whole new Hardware solution required? Very disappointing Apple.

 

[ilogic]

Omg!!!

if you do the Okay sign with your hand, thats how my butt feels cause i went out to get the AEBS so I can have time machine wireless and they've withheld the feature so I buy a 'capsule'!?!?!!?

I'm so disappointed.

There are two possibilities, the one is that, the capsule is a dedicated backup solution, and if you attach an additional hard drive, you can share files through that partition. Or, the capsule is not dedicated and its just a NAS drive, which is highly possible as well.

I don't understand why is not adding the funtionality to wireless backup to the AEBS?!!? I doubt they will, cause they want capsule to sell. this is the biggest load of crap i've ever heard...

today, for the first time i'm disappointed by Apple...

 

[nubero]

...

Lots of people use external HDDs from companies like Seagate, WD, and Maxtor that are in "sealed boxes" as auxiliary storage.

Why is that such a bad thing in the Time Capsule?

...

because once it breaks you throw away the airport and the hard drive. it's far from earth shaking but it just seems like quite a waste. especially if you look a the way you can swap drives from the MacPro.

besides, what happens if you want to change the drive inside to get a bigger one say in a year?

 

[Slip]

So basically a beefed up ATV or does it have a different interface?

I don't think so, it's literally just a hard drive fitted into an AirPort Extreme base station so you just access it like a remote hard drive

It creates a separate folder (not hidden, look at it in Finder) with the name of the machine, I believe. So it can accommodate multiple machines.

Steve

Correct AFAIK

I'm actually considering this as possibly the only thing from the keynote that I like.

Same as actually...
1.1.3 will be nice once hacked, but $20 for the apps that you can get by jailbreaking, no thank you.

ATV is quite nice, though having these features through iTunes detracts a little.

And I think they missed a shot with using the standard 13" screen for the 'ultraportable' MBA (don't flame or start that discussion again, there's an entire thread about it )

 

[uk_blaster]

Same here. Not happy about it.

It's true that I bought and 802.11n and pre-ordered when the Leopard feature set was still subject to change. When Leopard pulled the feature upon release, it was disappointing but seemed that the company would likely add the feature back into the OS once it was improved. After all, reports on this site said the early releases of Leopard had the feature and it worked.

Now, there's a whole new Hardware solution required? Very disappointing Apple.

Well, that's odd. Because when I was in my local apple store back in late Sept. contemplating the purchase of my airport extreme, the sales person assured me the feature would be present in leopard. And I'm pretty damned sure Apple's site even confirmed that fact on the "about leopard" page.. Until it was pulled about a week before leopard dropped, that is.

The short of it is I didn't hit a rumor site for that bit of info. I got that from the mouth of a apple employee and apple's own site.

Just saying. If I have the bit about that info being on the "about leopard" incorrect. Please feel free to correct me.

 

[Kelmon]

So 3 weeks ago I spent $159 on an Airport Extreme and $120 on Leopard so I could plug my $120 HD into for Time Machine when they finally updated it to support backups wirelessly. Now Im out all that. Unbelievable.

A largely similar situation here except that I bought my drive and AEBS back when it was first released with the view to using it with Time Machine, as advertised at the time. Needless to say that I do feel that I wasted my money and that the AEBS was misrepresented.

Yeah, thanks a lot, Apple...

 

[jaw04005]

This is very discouraging. It appears Apple has not corrected the data corruption errors associated with AirDisk and Time Machine.

I guess the "solution" is to purchase Apple's new "Time Capsule."

 

[CalfCanuck]

This is a NAS

On the Apple web site, the info on this device says that it also works with 10.4 and Windows machines as a NAS:

"Works with Mac and PC.
Time Capsule with Time Machine in Leopard is the ideal backup solution. But that doesn’t mean Tiger, Windows XP, and Windows Vista users can’t enjoy the benefits of Time Capsule, too. Because it mounts as a wireless hard drive, Tiger and Windows users simply access Time Capsule directly from the wireless network for exchanging and storing files quickly and easily."

 

[pjrobertson]

Once again, over ehre in the UK we're having to pay almost twice as much as the US.

UK Price: £199 ($393)

 

[MrCrowbar]

Assuming the Airport Extreme still does not support Time Machine, can I buy TIme Capsule and use a USB attached drive as Time Machine Drive too?

 

[CWallace]

OK, so can I backup 8 macs with this? Anyone seen a limit? I want to use it in our office.

The more Macs you have, the less "time" it can keep, but I expect 8 macs is okay.

because once it breaks you throw away the airport and the hard drive. it's far from earth shaking but it just seems like quite a waste. besides, what happens if you want to change the drive inside to get a bigger one say in a year?

Seriously, you will be able to open it. You have to, since it will come with a base warranty (likely one year parts). And if AppleCare is offered on it, then I can't really expect Apple's plan is to just scrap the whole thing if it fails.

So I am sure it will not be "welded" shut with the plastic seams melted together. It will have screws or latches like the Mac Mini and tv. Within a day or two of it shipping, review sites will be breaking it open to see what's inside.

So when the base warranty or AppleCare ends and the HDD dies - or if the warranty is done and you want more space - you just crack it open and swap out the (failed) drive for the new one.

 

[superspud]

ok, so in attempts to read all of the technical mumbo jumbo i just got confused....


is this a wireless hard drive i can store and access my files from all around the house wirelessly?

or is it just a device i can use with time machine?

do i have to use time machine or can i just use it as a wireless hard drive?


PLEEEEEEAAAASEEE help

 

[Trepex]

I'm assuming the drive's performance is far superior to that of an external drive connected via USB?

 

[SthrnCmfrtr]

Only ugly if they continue to prevent the airport + HD from doing the same thing. Once we get new software updates over the next few days, watch and see if this changes.

No, it's pretty ugly regardless of whether they fix it now. And they will, I'm sure, since people will complain.

You can debate it all you want, but this sounds like Apple withheld a promised feature from one product in order to upsell its customers later. That's pretty ugly, in my book. Legal? Surely. A violation of business ethics? Nah. But ugly, something that I don't like, that reminds me my face looks suspiciously like Benjamin Franklin'$? Yeah.

I don't know, but I doubt you know either.

A pretty safe doubt. If I did, I wouldn't have bought my AEBS(n).

 

[ChrisA]

How about fixing the issues some people are having with the Airport Extreme Base Station first?

Looks like the fix required new hardware. I think the reason the airport "air disk" does not work well was a hardware design problem.

 

[Trepex]

Looks like the fix required new hardware. I think the reason the airport "air disk" does not work well was a hardware design problem.

Well, or else it has been changed completely. If the new drive is SATA, there is probably a SATA controller built-in and no need for USB at least for the internal one. There is no guarantee that the external USB drive would work for Time Machine.

 

[ChrisA]

is this a wireless hard drive i can store and access my files from all around the house wirelessly?

or is it just a device i can use with time machine?

The Apple web site says the new device can work with Windows and non-leopard Macs as a disk drive.

 

[SthrnCmfrtr]

This is very discouraging. It appears Apple has not corrected the data corruption errors associated with AirDisk and Time Machine.

I guess the "solution" is to purchase Apple's new "Time Capsule."

"We don't know how -- now, it just works!™"

I'm assuming the drive's performance is far superior to that of an external drive connected via USB?

Haha, NO. My AEBS(n)'s drives get about 5MB/sec tops.

 

[scariaga]

I'm also curious to find out how this works as an external drive. It would be nice if you could still connect via firewire to enjoy faster data transfer then wireless. I don't see a firewire connection on this so it looks like you would only be able to connect to the drive wirelessly. Is that correct?

 

[bilbo--baggins]

I wonder if they'll give everyone that's been screwed with the Airport Extreme a refund. Shocking that they haven't even fixed the problems with AirDisk and they go brining out a new product like this.

They prove themselves to be completely incompetent at producing wireless products like the Airport Extreme with AirDisk - and then bring out a new product that claims to do what everyone expected their Airport Express to do.

Wasted money aside - my advice is don't trust this product until it's clearly proven to be reliable. In my opinion Apple have a terrible track record with this type of product.

 

[jacg]

Thankfully I returned the AEBS I bought alongside Leopard. I'll probably get a Capsule once we see some real world speeds up.

 

[Rantipole]

So 3 weeks ago I spent $159 on an Airport Extreme and $120 on Leopard so I could plug my $120 HD into for Time Machine when they finally updated it to support backups wirelessly. Now Im out all that. Unbelievable.

You did that just three weeks before a Macworld????

No sympathy for you.

 

[combatcolin]

360 add on?

This could be very handy to watch films via a 360.

Well, DRM free films from certain sources anyway.

 

[unclefudgly]

According to the Apple Uk site

Time Capsule also works great as a wireless hard drive whether you have a Mac or PC. It sets up in a snap, giving you a networked hard drive you can use for storing and sharing any kinds of files.

So there you go it is a wireless network drive to boot!!


Hurrah!!!

 

[balamw]

You do it through the Apple TV2. It's a "source"

Not seeing this clearly in any of the info online for Time Capsule or TV. Link please!

For me this could be the device I've been hoping for to extend the capability of the TV, and I presume iTunes should be able to stream off it as well.

I don't want to leave my computers on all the time, but I do want my media to be accessible.

B