Apple's New 802.11n Super-Fast WiFi for Macs Already Purchased to cost $1.99--Our Take
During Macworld Week, Apple announced Apple TV and a new AirPort Extreme Base Station that will use the super-fast WiFi 802.11n protocol, technically still in draft. The 802.11n protocol implementation in all shipping Core 2 Duo Macs was one nearly correct guess we made about Steve Jobs keynote announcements. While Steve Jobs mentioned that Apple TV will run on 802.11n, the release of the new AirPort Extreme Base Station and the fact that all shipping Macs with Core 2 Duo CPUs (except the cheapest 17" iMac model) can run the 802.11n protocol was announced in a press release, not in the keynote.
Even though virtually all Core 2 Duo Macs shipped already have WiFi chips that run the 802.11n protocol, the feature was disabled by Apple and needs to be enabled with software. The enabling software will be bundled with the new AirPort Extreme Base Station but others who want it will have to download the software from Apple and pay a fee, now set at $1.99 according to an Apple representative quoted in this CNet article. Apple claims this charge is required "to comply with generally accepted accounting rules for revenue recognition, which generally require that we charge for significant feature enhancements, such as 802.11n, when added to previously purchased products."
Well, $1.99 is a token payment. While we wonder exactly how Apple is going to charge for it (iTunes Store?), we are not going to quibble with the minor charge. However, we find the explanation rather strange because the feature actually already exists in the purchased product, disabled by Apple, and the software just enables it. GM never charged us for implementing the capability for MP3 playing in our navigation system when GM updated its firmware--the feature was there, just disabled until the firmware update. Perhaps, GM will eventually get into trouble for the free significant feature enhancement.
[Update: This ZDNet article "explains" the technicalities of the accounting issue. However, like most such technicalities they make sense to the technocracy that created them but make little common sense. Just be happy that Apple is going to charge only $1.99.]
Anyway, we ordered a new AirPort Extreme Base Station the day they were announced. It has a projected shipping date of February 28 so the announcement of them being available in February is correct but just barely. We look forward to trying this new super-fast WiFi with our MacBook Pro C2D and iMac C2D. [Bill Fox]
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