World of Apple

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 2.26/2×1GB/160/SD/AP/BT-USA
MC239LL/A- MAC MINI 2.53/2×2GB/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 2.53/2×2GB/1TB/NO ODD/AP-BT-USA
MC413LL/A – IMAC 21.5″/3.06/2×2GB/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.

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:

Third party Apple retailer ClubMac is currently displaying an image on its website that shows a Time Capsule packaging box with a stated capacity of 2TB. Apple currently sells Time Capsule units in 500GB and 1TB units only.

The source of the image is unknown but it may suggest that Apple is due to release a new Time Capsule model.

Amongst today’s flurry of updates Apple also updated the AirPort Extreme Base Station and Time Capsule.

They both now feature simultaneous 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz dual-band networking for optimal performance, range and compatibility. An innovative Guest Network feature allows setting up a secondary network for friends and visitors with Internet-only access so you don’t have to hand out your WiFi password.

Time Capsule is available in a 500GB model for $299 and a 1TB model for $499. The AirPort Extreme Base Station is also available immediately for $179.

As online Apple Stores around the world begin displaying the familiar “We’ll be back soon” message, it looks increasingly likely that Apple will introduce minor updates to the iMac, Mac mini, Mac Pro as well as updating the Time Capsule and AirPort Extreme.

As detailed by Mac Rumors part numbers and specs were posted to their forum which correspond with last minute rumours that began circulating yesterday.

The iMac will now be available in one 20-inch model and three 24-inch models, processor speeds are on par with the current line-up but memory and hard drive has been doubled in most cases.

MB417LL/A – IMAC 20″ 2.66/2GB/320GB/SD/MSE/KB-USA
MB418LL/A – IMAC 24″ 2.66/4GB/640/SD/MSE/KB-USA
MB419LL/A – IMAC 24″ 2.93/4GB/640/256/SD/MSE/KB-USA
MB420LL/A – IMAC 24″ 3.06/4GB/1TB/512/SD/MSE/KB-USA

Two Mac mini models will now be available with Mac Rumors speculating that the low-end model will be at a new price point of $499 down from $599.

MB463LL/A – MAC MINI 2.0/1X1G/120/SD/AP/BT-USA
MB464LL/A – MAC MINI 2.0/2X1G/320/SD/AP/BT-USA

Although not originally thought to be updated today the Mac Pro appears to also be receiving a minor update. Of particular note is the adoption of the new ATI Radeon HD 4870 graphics card. The specs for the two Mac Pro models are as follows:

MAC PRO 2.26_8CX/6X1G/640/GT120/SD-USA
MAC PRO 2.66QCX/3X1GB/640/GT120/SD-USA

As detailed yesterday, the release of the FCC filings suggest an imminent update to the AirPort Extreme base station and Time Capsule.

Filings with the Federal Communications Commission suggest that Apple is preparing to released new versions of both the Airport Extreme and Time Capsule.

The reports indicate that Apple is not intending to change the form factor of the units but is instead going to add a combined mode allowing its AirPort base stations to support both iPhones and other 802.11b/g devices operating at 2.4GHz, while also broadcasting 802.11n wide signals in the 5GHz band to maximize throughput for notebooks and devices such as Apple TV.

AppleInsider has also posted today that six new Apple product numbers have appeared in some inventory systems.

Stock of AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule units remain healthy in the United States but availability across some parts of Europe has become non-existent over the last few weeks.

The FCC documents can be viewed as follows:

AirPort Extreme: Authorisation Letter, Request for confidentiality, and Test report.

Time Capsule: Authorisation Letter, Request for confidentiality, and Test report.