Wacworld Wrap Up

[octothorpe]

Yeah, everyone knows about the iPhone, and the (Apple)TV. What they *didn't* tell you was the new Airport Extreme. Ok, so it's a new 802.11n-based wireless base-station. Here's the catch:

USB2.

For sharing.

Not just printers, but *disks*.

Think about it. Network addressable storage on the super cheap. Sure, it's only USB2, but you're still limited by the network connection of 802.11n and/or the connection of the 10/100 Ethernet ports.

Not too long ago, NAS units were *very* expensive. Often you'd have to dedicate an entire computer to serve files. Now you don't have to.

It accepts USB hubs, so you can add many disks, and/or many printers.

Best. Macworld. Ever.

Comments

Luck of the draw

[bestbear-icanbe.livejournal.com]

I've got the one new Mac model that won't support 80211n. WTF? Grrrr.

Otherwise, the new Airport Extreme would be great, with a nice price as a bonus.

Re: Luck of the draw

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

Which one is that?? I think even the minis have 802.11n in them (mind you, they're "disguised" as 802.11g)

Re: Luck of the draw

[bestbear-icanbe.livejournal.com]

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)

That would be my iMac, the only exception. Sheesh!

Re: Luck of the draw

[fuzzyjay.livejournal.com]

Can you use the Base Station in mixed mode? I should just look it up instead of posting, I know. Don't hurt me.

Re: Luck of the draw

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

I'd never hurt you, babe (at least intentionally).

Yes, it supports b/g/n

[cpratt.livejournal.com]

Super cheap?

This is about $100. The AirPort Extreme Base Station is about $179 (and not yet available).

In my world, something that costs 80% more and won't ship for a few weeks doesn't really qualify as "super cheap." Of course, the Apple unit does (arguably) look better, and it's possible that its setup utility is superior to the Linksys'.

[mh58.livejournal.com]

This one is only 802.11g and doesn't do printers.

[cpratt.livejournal.com]

That explains the $80 then - the Linksys version with N is $180. :)

[naylandblake.livejournal.com]

On the iPhone, they forgot to highlight the "shuffle feature that randomly calls people in your address book. Just for the fun of it!.

[cpratt.livejournal.com]

Oh, we shipped that in Windows Mobile 2003 ages ago...

(ba-dum dum)

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

Actually, check out my old (several years old) "iPhony" post for just such an idea.

[ursusarctos.livejournal.com]

I've stayed with FireWire drives for several reasons, but this makes a network drive look nice. My order's already in the queue. I've had it with a Linksys g router that has a mind of it's own. I was ready to get a new Airport anyway.
The iPhone looks neat, but since it's tied to Cingular, I'll take a pass.

[piratechan.livejournal.com]

Scary!