Apple Time Capsule, Airport Extreme receive small (possibly significant) upgrades

"I'll give you two guesses as to this product's identity. Is it the Base Station or Time Capsule? Only the astute among you will know for sure.

(Credit: Apple)

Along with the major Apple announcements that took place Tuesday, Apple also--quite stealthily, I might add--announced upgraded performance, specs, and support for both its Time Capsule and Airport Extreme Base Station.

Time Capsule received the most updates, with Apple claiming that with the new technologies and refinements added to both Time Capsule and the Time Machine software, backing up using Snow Leopard is up to "60 percent faster than before."

That number is based on internal testing done by Apple comparing a new preproduction (unreleased) Time Capsule with the version released earlier this year.

Apple also claims that by using the latest 802.11n wireless technology, you'll see "up to five times the Wi-Fi performance and up to twice the range of 802.11g wireless networks."

This, also based on Apple testing comparing both Time Capsule and the Airport Extreme Base Station to "Apple's 802.11g products." The company doesn't specify which products it compares them to, however.

Finally, Apple claims that improvements to both Time Capsule's and the Airport Extreme Base Station's antenna design can give "up to 50 percent better performance and up to 25 percent better range than with the previous-generation Time Capsule and Airport Extreme base Station."

This performance is based on Apple testing comparing the Time Capsule and Airport based Station to "Apple's 802.11n products." Again, although we can safely assume they're basing the comparison on apples to apples test results on the previous versions of the versions of the same hardware, we can't be certain.

We'll of course be conducting our own testing as soon as we get these updated versions of the products in for review. It'll be interesting to see how close our performance numbers match up with theirs.

According to Apple's site, both new versions of the hardware are shipping now.

[Vegaman_Dan]

With an average 16-18 month lifespan on the Time Capsule, has Apple done anything to address the overheating and premature failure of these units just out of warranty?

[evildude666]

Will Apple also re-design the AirPort Express?
Cause I was thinking about getting one but if they're gonna make them look better I rather wait.

[ajjj08]

In regards to the funny little message below the picture, this is the new time capsule not the extreme base station. You can tell by the power cable plug in.

[zMudvayne]

The Apple logo on the Extreme Base Station is also clear, whereas the Time Capsule is a glossy black.

[AppleSuxLeo]

Apple crammed too much TIME into the CAPSULE.
Apple stores are full of people with broken devices due to overheating.

[montex66]

My 1TB Time Capsule failed after 18 months. I was able to fix it by replacing the blown capacitors in the power supply unit, and I permanently removed the worthless rubber base pad. But these are not easy repairs for everyday users. TC's need to be redesigned so that they have improved airflow through the unit, but that doesn't seem to be the case with the latest refresh of the line. I don't recommend anyone buy an Apple Time Capsule until they redesign them to run cooler. Unless you want to buy a TC only to have it fail in 18 months, then the current crop is fine for you.

[DarkerRaul]

The AppleTV has a similar form and it also lacks ventilation. It also gets tremendously hot.

[maxiprep]

sxsz

[maxiprep]

my time capsule blew yesterday. potential buyers should be aware that even with apple care the apple store will only give me a reconditioned unit since they argue that they no longer make the 500gb version which I have. needless to say im not happy