Is there marketing going on for this $1.99 driver somewhere?
Whatever.
This is like crying over spilled milk.
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Apple Quietly Releases 802.11n Enabler
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Whatever.
This is like crying over spilled milk.
I've bitten the bullet and cracked the piggy bank and bought the enabler. When it comes down to peace of mind I think it beats having to spend time chasing for a torrent that works, or finding the enabler somewhere else and worry if it might have been altered and loaded with worms 
Not particularly happy that they are charging for this, but better than being stuck with a g hardware that could have been pre-draft n.
Now, that I have this thing enabled I'll have to find a draft-n network that is compatible. I don't want to buy Apple's airport base as it doesn't have a gigabit switch, and for me it is a big deal if I am going to spend almost a couple of hundred dollars on a wireless router. Has someone tried how compatible are the Mac with Linksys, Netgear? I am curious about the Linksys, as that one also has Gigabit, and USB hard drive support. It would be good to know if people have experience with Linksys' harddrive support and n wireless performance. Little I have read in the Internet hasn't been very positive.
Not particularly happy that they are charging for this, but better than being stuck with a g hardware that could have been pre-draft n. Now, that I have this thing enabled I'll have to find a draft-n network that is compatible. I don't want to buy Apple's airport base as it doesn't have a gigabit switch, and for me it is a big deal if I am going to spend almost a couple of hundred dollars on a wireless router. Has someone tried how compatible are the Mac with Linksys, Netgear? I am curious about the Linksys, as that one also has Gigabit, and USB hard drive support. It would be good to know if people have experience with Linksys' harddrive support and n wireless performance. Little I have read in the Internet hasn't been very positive.
You'll get slower speeds on a mixed network - even though you have a Pre-N router, the a/b/g machines will drag down the network.
I've bitten the bullet and cracked the piggy bank and bought the enabler. When it comes down to peace of mind I think it beats having to spend time chasing for a torrent that works, or finding the enabler somewhere else and worry if it might have been altered and loaded with worms
Now, that I have this thing enabled I'll have to find a draft-n network that is compatible. I don't want to buy Apple's airport base as it doesn't have a gigabit switch, and for me it is a big deal if I am going to spend almost a couple of hundred dollars on a wireless router. Has someone tried how compatible are the Mac with Linksys, Netgear? I am curious about the Linksys, as that one also has Gigabit, and USB hard drive support. It would be good to know if people have experience with Linksys' harddrive support and n wireless performance. Little I have read in the Internet hasn't been very positive.
I have a Belkin Pre-N wireless router that works really well with my Wireless G Macs. It really increased the range compared to my old Wireless G router. Of, course, speed was not affected, and I have not yet upgraded my iMac core 2 duo to Pre-N.
Does anyone know how much the a/b/g machines will drag the network down to?
Is it true that in order to run 5x faster, 802.11n has to use both the 2.4 and 5ghz wireless spectrum?
So if you have older devices a/b/g devices (that use the 2.4 spectrum), does that mean that 802.11n can only use the 5ghz spectrum?
And if that's the case, and since Apple is only advertising the Airport Extreme as being "2.5x faster" in countries where 802.11n isn't allowed to use the 5ghz spectrum at all, I'm wondering if a/b/g devices will slow a "5x faster" connection down to 2.5x faster.
If that made any sense at all.
You're still missing the point that that status was never promised to you. It doesn't matter what other people experienced--you can't base buying decisions on anecdotal evidence (truthful or otherwise).
That's precisely the point. This is the first and only instance where Apple shipped out hardware without the software to take full advantage of it. Had the software been ready, it would have been sold as pre-n from the beginning.
And they've never shipped incomplete hardware before, either. It doesn't indicate a new direction. Single events do not make trends.
How? It shipped hardware that was feature-complete as advertised (but with latent, unrealized hardware), and then needed to find a way to activate the superior-than-reported hardware without raising suspicion. If you prefer, they could have never released the enabler and left these customers out in the cold entirely.
According to whom? Furthermore, does the product indicate that it has 802.11n capabilities? If it doesn't, from where exactly do you draw your entitlement?
And without one, you can't use the hardware. Again, I ask, how could they enable 802.11n capabilities without a driver to do so?
My PowerBook G4 also has man pages on it describing 802.11n operation. They came with developer updates. Does that mean my G4 has the capability, too? Maybe you're confused about what man pages are. They're generic manuals for software commands, not evidence of specifications.
According to Apple.
http://www.apple.com/imac/specs.html
They clearly state that 802.11g is available by default on new iMacs, and that 802.11n is only available via an optional enabler. Ie, they consider the 802.11n driver to be a value-added option.
(In case the linked page ever changes... retrieval date: February 2, 2007 at 1309h AST)
802.11n may already be installed on your Mac, if it was built after the release of the enabler, but seeing as though it was just released, it's unlikely anyone has such a Mac. Current inventory will not have the enabler installed, but it remains to be seen whether new products will include it once the order line has been refreshed. Obviously purchase is not the only way to get the update:
"Do you need the AirPort Extreme 802.11n Enabler?
Before purchasing the 802.11n Enabler software, please check to make sure that your Mac does not already have the 802.11n enabler already installed."
Source
More to the point, that explicit statement is exactly what I mean--customers were never offered 802.11n as part of the baseline. It is an additional feature not originally sold with the machines in question. Now, they are being told up front that they may need to spend $2 more if they want 802.11n, just as upgrading to a SuperDrive used to cost extra, or a faster processor, a better video card, or once upon a time, an Airport card. Until the announcement, customers can have no expectation beyond the specs as originally listed, which did not offer 802.11n in any capacity.
It's been stated that the 802.11n enabler is also shipped with the new Airport Ex bases, but, uh, where is it and how is it 'enabled?'
It probably part of the new Airport Admin utility software you install when you get the base station.
How do you know if you have a draft "n" card in your computer. I got a refurb and all it says is: AirPort Extreme (0x168C, 0x87)
Is that a draft N? I would like to know, thanks.
Is that a draft N? I would like to know, thanks.
i got one but all it says is this: AirPort Extreme (0x168C, 0x87)
which to me is inconclusive.
I don't know where you're looking, but if you have a Core 2 Duo iMac, MacBook or MacBook Pro, your network card supports upgrading to N.
Once you've upgraded (or to check if you already have the upgrade) you can do a search on spotlight for Network Utility. Open that and go to the Info tab (should open automatically on that tab).
Then select from the different network interface options and you'll find your wireless adapter there. On my MBP it's Network Interface (en1).
It tells you which speeds it supports. You will only see the N here after you've upgraded.