PRESS RELEASE
January 7, 2003
Apple Delivers AirPort Extreme 802.11g Wireless Networking
Five Times the Data Rate, Wireless Bridging & USB Printer Sharing
MARKHAM, Ontario—January 7, 2003—Apple® today announced AirPort® Extreme,the next generation of Wi-Fi wireless networking technology based on the newultra-fast 802.11g standard. With speeds up to 54 Mbps, AirPort Extremedelivers almost five times the data rate of today´s 802.11b based products,yet is fully compatible with the millions of 802.11b Wi-Fi devices aroundthe world. Starting at just $299 (CDN), the new AirPort Extreme BaseStations offer 54 Mbps data rates for up to 50 users, wireless bridging toextend the range beyond just one base station, and USB printer sharing toallow multiple users to wirelessly share USB printers connected directly tothe base station*.
"Apple was the first computer company to ship products based on 802.11b whenit launched AirPort in 1999, kick-starting the entire Wi-Fi wirelessrevolution," said Steve Jobs, Apple´s CEO. "Today we´re doing it again bylaunching AirPort Extreme, the next generation of wireless products based on802.11g that runs at 54 Mbps, yet is fully compatible with the millions of802.11b Wi-Fi devices and Hot Spots around the world."
AirPort Extreme, based on the new 802.11g wireless standard, operates at upto 54 Mbps�up to five times faster than current Wi-Fi technology. AirPortExtreme works with the installed base of 802.11b devices, including publicHot Spots and Wi-Fi certified 802.11b Windows solutions. AirPort Extreme iscompatible with Cisco´s LEAP security. With up to 50 users per base station,AirPort Extreme supports many more users than typical base stations.
AirPort Extreme provides the flexibility and power to service home, schooland institutional networking needs. In addition to increased speed, both ofthe AirPort Extreme Base Stations offer new features such as a USB port forlow-cost wireless USB printer sharing and a second 10/100BASE-T Ethernetport for connections to fast LANs and DSL or cable modems. Educationcampuses and other institutions can take advantage of new features such as asoftware placement utility for optimal base station location, a softwarepower control that lets administrators adjust the wireless network range tofit a specific area and optional range-extending omni-directional anddirectional antennas.
A new wireless bridging feature lets customers easily and inexpensivelyextend the range of a wired network by allowing one AirPort Extreme BaseStation on a LAN to "bridge" with up to four additional AirPort Extreme BaseStations, eliminating the need to pull additional cables underground andinto buildings.
With Mac OS X version 10.2 "Jaguar" and built-in support for 802.11g, it´snever been easier to go wireless. AirPort Extreme with Apple´s Rendezvous™technology enables iChat among networked Macs and can also be used toautomatically discover and deploy other Rendezvous-enabled devices on thenetwork, such as printers, without complicated set up. AirPort Extremeoffers the latest security features including built-in Firewall and 128-bitencryption. The new smaller and faster AirPort Extreme Card is designedspecifically for the internal card slot found in Apple´s new PowerBook® G4notebooks also announced today.
Pricing & Availability
Expected to be available in Canada in February through the Apple Store®(102.p.syniva.es/canadastore) and Apple Authorized Resellers, the AirPortExtreme solution includes the AirPort Extreme Card for a suggested retailprice of $149 (CDN) and the AirPort Extreme Base Station for a suggestedretail price of $299 (CDN). The AirPort Extreme Base Station with a built-in56K V.90 hardware modem and additional port for connecting a range-extendingantenna has a suggested retail price of $379 (CDN).
Expected to be available in Canada in February through the Apple Store®(102.p.syniva.es/canadastore) and Apple Authorized Resellers, the AirPortExtreme solution includes the AirPort Extreme Card for a suggested retailprice of $149 (CDN) and the AirPort Extreme Base Station for a suggestedretail price of $299 (CDN). The AirPort Extreme Base Station with a built-in56K V.90 hardware modem and additional port for connecting a range-extendingantenna has a suggested retail price of $379 (CDN).
- *Based on IEEE 802.11g draft specification. Data rates greater than 11 Mbpsrequire an AirPort Extreme Base Station, an AirPort Extreme Card, and anAirPort Extreme-ready computer. To achieve maximum speed of 54 Mbps, allusers must use AirPort Extreme Cards. Actual speed will vary based on range,connection rate and other factors. Wireless printing over USB requires MacOS X v10.2.3 or later and a compatible printer.
Apple Canada Inc. is headquartered in Markham, Ontario and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Apple Computer, Inc. Apple products are available at more than 450 Authorized Apple Canada Dealer locations across Canada.
- Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh,Keynote, QuickTime, Quartz,AppleWorks and Apple Store are either registered trademarks or trademarks ofApple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respectiveowners.