World of Apple

MacBook Air (Mid 2012)

In a demonstration of just how much more important notebooks are to Apple the company today took to the stage at WWDC to refresh all of their portable Macs. Apple gave the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air a minor speed bump as well as releasing a new model of MacBook Pro with a Retina display.

Apple quietly gave the Mac Pro a mild refresh including some newer Intel processors, although they’re still a couple of years old. Unlike the notebooks which gained USB 3.0 support the Mac Pro remains without Thunderbolt or USB 3.0. Neither the iMac nor Mac mini received an update today.

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Time Capsule

Today Apple has quietly updated both the AirPort Extreme WiFi base station and Time Capsule backup drive, but the changes have left many wondering what exactly has changed. A noticeable change to the Time Capsule is a bump in storage capacities with Apple now selling a 3TB model.

Alongside the Time Capsule update which appears to offer nothing more than a capacity bump, Apple also updated the pages for the AirPort Extreme. To help prove that the model available really is new Macworld has published the change in model number from MC340AM/A to MD031AM/A.

The changes are sure to create a stir in Apple rumour circles with some speculating that the new AirPort and Time Capsules feature Apple A5 processors and run iOS software. Such changes could allow features to be unlocked or updated in the future. The truth is presumably closer to Apple updating to more modern, cheaper and readily available components.

As detailed by AppleInsider Mac OS X 10.7 Lion includes the ability to unlock 450Mbps 802.11n wireless networking in Apple’s latest Thunderbolt equipped Macs. The technology depends on Macs being equipped with three send and receive antennas, a feature that Apple’s latest MacBook Pro and iMac have.

Apple began incorporating three send and receive antennas in its Thunderbolt-equipped MacBook Pro and iMacs, enabling them to achieve an MCS of 23 and a top data rate of 450 Mbps on 5GHz networks with wide channels. This new capability goes beyond the baseline certification of 802.11n as defined by the Wi-Fi Alliance, which maxes out at 300 Mbps

The 450Mbps transfer rate is supported on newer Macs when connected to modern base stations such as Apple’s Airport Extreme or Time Capsule.

AirPort Client Update 2009-00 – 13MB

This update is recommended for all Macintosh computers running Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.2 and includes fixes for the following:

• Inability to turn AirPort on or off in some cases after upgrading from Mac OS X Leopard
• An occasional loss of network connection when using Wake on Demand
• Inability to create a computer-to-computer network, or share the Internet connection on some MacBook, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini computers

SuperDrive Firmware Update 3.0 – 18.4MB

This update will eliminate the noise made by the optical disk drive during system startup and wake from sleep on your Mac. This update works with the following EFI updates:

• iMac EFI Firmware Update 1.4
• Mac mini EFI Firmware Update 1.2
• MacBook EFI Firmware Update 1.4
• MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.8

MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.8 – 3.4MB

This update eliminates the noise made by the optical disk drive during system startup and wake from sleep on MacBook Pro computers. When installation is complete, please run Software Update again, and install SuperDrive Firmware Update 3.0.

MacBook EFI Firmware Update 1.4 – 3.1MB

This update eliminates the noise made by the optical disk drive during system startup and wake from sleep on MacBook computers. When installation is complete, please run Software Update again, and install SuperDrive Firmware Update 3.0

Alongside Apple’s main products announcements the company also quietly updated and released several new products.

Behind the scenes Apple gave the Apple Remote a new aluminium look whilst continuing to sell for $19 (£15). The new aluminium Apple Remote can be used with any Mac made since 2005 and will also work with any iPod with a Dock connector and iPhones when used in conjunction with an iPod Universal Dock as well as Apple TV.

Apple also updated both the AirPort Extreme base station and Time Capsule, relatively unchanged the new units are said to offer 50% increased wireless performance and 25% improved range. The improvements are reportedly provided by a revised antenna design.

AppleInsider points towards a post on its own forums from a source who has historically offered accurate information prior to product launches. The information comes hot on the heels of rumours about iMac and Mac mini updates today.

The source claims that three models of Mac mini will be introduced, one with no optical drive, a 21.5-inch iMac featuring a 16:9 ratio widescreen display and updated Time Capsule and AirPort Extreme base stations.

MC207LL/A – K84 BEST BTR- USA
MC238LL/A – MAC MINI 2.26/2x1GB/160/SD/AP/BT-USA
MC239LL/A- MAC MINI 2.53/2x2GB/320GB/SD/AP/BT-USA
MC340LL/A – AIRPORT EXTREME (SIM DUALBAND) – USA
MC343LL/A – TIME CAPSULE 1TB (SIM DUALBAND) -USA
MC344LL/A – TIME CAPSULE 2TB (SIM DUALBAND) – USA
MC408LL/A – MAC MINI 2.53/2x2GB/1TB/NO ODD/AP-BT-USA
MC413LL/A – IMAC 21.5″/3.06/2x2GB/1TB/4670-256MB-USA
MC434LL/A – APPLE VESA MOUNT ADAPTER
MC461LL/A – MACBOOK 60W MAGSAFE POWER ADAPTER – USA

Engadget also points towards a filing with the U.S. Federal Communications commission which has revealed documents that could suggest updated AirPort base stations.

AirPort Client Update for MacBook and MacBook Pro – 1.68MB

This update is recommended for some Intel-based Macintosh computers running Mac OS X v10.5.8 and addresses an issue with AirPort performance while running on battery power. It may only be installed on:

• MacBook (13-inch, Late 2007)
• MacBook (13-inch, Early 2008)
• MacBook (13-inch, Late
• MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2008)
• MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2008)
• MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2008)
  

Apple has today quietly updated Time Capsule, the companion product to Mac OS X’s Time Machine. Apple has doubled the capacity of the wireless router, network attached storage devices while keeping the same previous price points.

Time Capsule is available in 1TB and 2TB capacities and priced at $299 and $499 respectively.

In addition to increasing the capacity of the Time Capsule Apple also added the ability to run dual-band WiFi and guest networking, features that were added to the AirPort Extreme base station several months back.

Rumours of a 2TB Time Capsule were first started by ClubMac in April 2009.

Time Capsule and AirPort Base Station Firmware Update 7.4.2

The Time Capsule, AirPort Extreme, and AirPort Express Base Station with 802.11n Firmware 7.4.2 update provides several fixes, including:

iPhoto 8.0.1 Update – 11.9MB

This update improves overall stability and addresses minor issues in a number of areas, including internet connectivity, keyword import, and slideshow export.

iLife Support 9.0.1 – 50.56MB

This update improves overall stability and addresses a number of other minor issues. It is recommended for all users of Aperture, iLife ’09, and iWork ’09.

AirPort Client Update 2009-001 – 2MB

This update is recommended for all Intel-based Macintosh computers running Mac OS X 10.5.6.

It addresses issues with roaming and network selection in dual-band environments.

AirPort Utility 5.4.1 – 17.4MB

AirPort Utility v5.4.1 is the simple to use, setup and management utility for the AirPort Express Base Station, the AirPort Extreme Base Station and Time Capsule.