Apple may be looking to incorporate support for 802.11ac Wi-Fi specification into the company’s products this year, according to a report from AppleInsider. The new standard offers three times the speed of the 802.11n standard, capable of achieving speeds of over 1 Gigabit per second. The Cupertino-based company is expected to “rapidly deploy support” of the new standard into AirPort base stations, Time Capsules, the Apple TV, notebooks and possibly mobile devices, according to the report. Even though the official standard has yet to be finalized, multiple suppliers have already announced chipsets supporting it — one of those is key Apple component maker Broadcom, which announced chips supporting the standard earlier this month at the Consumer Electronics Show. In addition to faster speeds, 802.11ac promises better networking range, improved reliability and more power efficient chips due to advances in reducing chip size and enhanced power management.

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Apple just took the wraps off of its new 3TB Time Capsule automatic wireless backup hard drive. The company said that it will continue to offer a 2TB version of its Time Capsule alongside the new 3TB version, and it doesn’t look like there are any other differentiating specs. Apple appears to have also quietly updated its Airport Extreme product with support for up to 450Mbps file transfers over both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands, and the website has also been refreshed a bit. The 2TB Time Capsule drive is now available for $299 and the new 3TB model will set you back $499.

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References to a fourth-generation Time Capsule and a fifth-generation AirPort Extreme have been found within Apple’s latest AirPort Utility software update. Dwindling inventory and several reports over the past few weeks have suggested that Apple is preparing to refresh the AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule lines, and this new software update all but confirms the rumors. Also notable, references to software update caching have been found within the AirPort Utility update. This new feature will allow the devices to automatically download OS X and iOS software updates and store them locally until the user applies them. This background downloading feature will drastically reduce the perceived amount of time it takes to update Apple software. Apple’s new Time Capsule and AirPort Extreme models are expected to become available shortly.

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Today is the day that Apple CEO Steve Jobs and other executives will unveil the next advancements out of the industry’s leading innovator at WWDC 2011. While Apple has already announced that the company will be talking about three different main products — iOS 5, iCloud, and Mac OS X Lion — the fact is, Apple once again could possibly change (and influence) the entire way we use computers and mobile devices. Let’s look at iCloud, for example: if Apple is able to transition the device-centric approach to how we work with information and apps to a task-centric approach where the PowerPoint presentation you’re working on is what matters, and not what computer or tablet or smartphone you’re editing it from, that in itself a huge move forward in computing. Other companies have been trying to accomplish this for years, but we having a feeling that Apple is about to show us the beginnings of something so seamless, it really could find mass adoption, unlike most current solutions. Add in music, photos, videos, and your documents, and you should be able to pick up any computer or device and have access to all of your information and data from wherever you are. Coupled with a rumored Airport Extreme and TimeCapsule refresh in which the devices will run iOS and a feature an A4 or A5 processor, and all of your data could sit on one of your own devices and it would use your own internet connection to serve up your files directly to you. Lastly, what if iCloud allowed you to just walk up to any iOS or Mac computer and let you sign in, sit down, and practically act as if though it was your device or computer? What if Apple then implements this using NFC in the next iPhone — just place your iDevice next to a Mac computer, and it will instantly be transformed into your computer. Hit the break for more!

In iOS 5, Apple is rumored to have drastically redone a major pain-point for users: notifications. Though I’m sure Apple will show off redone notifications in iOS 5, I think it will be much, much more that that — iOS 5 will be the biggest change since the introduction of iOS in 2007. While Mac OS X Lion is all about simplifying and taking advantage of all the innovative things Apple has done to get rid of the frustrating experience of using a computer, I think iOS 5 will be about making iOS even more powerful, and a platform that will be capable of one day being a standalone computer operating system. Also, what if Apple decides that they’ve had enough with 3rd parties making messaging systems? They never introduced a real version of iChat, what if they created their own messaging network, not unlike BlackBerry Messenger? They have to see how valuable and useful all of these messaging services are. Additionally, iOS 5 should eliminate the need to sync your device — it’s all tied to your iCloud account. Your device is backed up and synced wirelessly, applications update in the background, OS updates are delivered wirelessly, and if you ever lose or replace a device, just sign in, and all your data is populated and everything is back.

With Mac OS X Lion, Apple will introduce features that make the Mac even more enjoyable to use. It will make people look back on the fact we had to save files — really, if you think about it, it’s insane that we’re forced to manage the data on a computer and make sure it’s saved and backed up — and make them feel like we were all living in the stone age. The entire philosophy of Apple is to offer the user a window and let everything else melt away and get out of the way. OS X Lion does that more so than any other OS X release, and it makes computing easier and more enjoyable for everybody.

I know Apple set expectations that we won’t be seeing any major hardware announcements, but a part of me does think it’s possible we’ll see an iPhone announcement of some sort. A guy can dream, right?

Apple announced last week via a support bulletin that it is replacing defective Time Capsules manufactured between February 2008 and June 2008. The defective units are plagued by a power problem that causes the unit to either not power on or power off unexpectedly. If you experience this problem, contact Apple, an authorized service center, or setup an appointment at your local genius bar to arrange for a repair or a replacement. Good news for those who already paid for a repair; Apple is going to issue a refund for the complete cost of the repair service. Hit the link for the contact information, serial numbers of affected units, and more on Apple’s support site.

[Via TUAW]

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Sure it’s not a Tuesday but Apple apparently decided to switch things up and intro the new and improved Time Capsule duo this morning. What’s new? Space. The old $300 500GB model has gone the way of the Dodo and the 1TB model slides into its price slot (down from $500). Of course Apple wouldn’t be Apple without offering a “bigger and better” model carrying a significantly wider profit margin, so a 2TB version of the Time Capsule makes its debut in the vacated $500 slot. Time to get your backup on, Apple fans.

[Via Giz]

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There you have it folks — done and done. The Apple Store is back up, new gear is live and credit card portals are wide open. Keeping things nice and simple, Apple has taken one of its two standard routes and simply tossed out a bunch of refreshes sans-hullabaloo. Here it is, now buy it. So what have we got?

iMac:

• $1199 (only 20″ model) – 2.66 GHz, 2GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, 320GB HD
• $1499 (24″) – 2.66 GHz, 4GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, 640GB HD
• $1799 (24″) – 2.93 GHz, 4GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GT 120, 640GB HD
• $2199 (24″) – 3.06 GHz, 4GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GT 130, 1TB HD

Mac Mini:

• $599 – 2.0GHz, 1GB 1066 MHz DDRS SDRAM, GeForce 9400M, 120GB HD, 8x SuperDrive, Mini DisplayPort, mini-DVI, 5 USB Ports, FireWire 800 Port
• $799 – 2.0GHz, 2GB 1066 MHz DDRS SDRAM, GeForce 9400M, 320GB HD, 8x SuperDrive, Mini DisplayPort, mini-DVI, 5 USB Ports, FireWire 800 Port

Mac Pro:

• $2499 – 2.66GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 3500 processor, 3GB of RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GT 120, 640GB HD
• $3299 – Dual 2.26GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5500 processors, 6GB of RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GT 120, 640GB HD

Apple definitely gave its desktop lineup a bit of an adrenaline shot, though it really didn’t come through with anything too Earth-shattering. What do you guys think? On a completely overshadowed note, Apple is now offering a 1TB Time Capsule for $500 (500GB for $299) and the AirPort Extreme Base Station, now capable of running two networks simultaneously, will run you $179 (old model is going for $159).

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There’s nothing an Apple fan loves more than a yellow sticky note that reads “We’ll be back sson” and following a massive flurry of rumors, Apple has closed its online store this morning in the US and a variety of other countries. Countless fingers are crossed as several new part numbers had been discovered last night, allegedly covering refreshed iMac and Mac Mini models. What’s more, a new Time Capsule and AirPort Extreme were recently seen passing through the FCC which of course leads us to believe we’re in for more than just new computers this morning. So much for that March 24th event — it looks like Apple is as anxious to push out its refreshed gear as Mac users are to shell out cash for it. What are we most excited about? A potential end to the seemingly infinite speculation and rehashing surrounding the iMac and Mac Mini refreshes. Please Apple, get it over with already.

This one has been in the pipeline for quite some time, but it’s good to see HP finally placing their official stamp on their flagship home media server. The MediaSmart EX485/487 is a powerhouse of a entertainment box, sporting either 750GB or 1.5TB of storage space depending on the spec level. In a nod to the increasing prominence of Apple hardware, both the 485 and 487 are compatible with both OSX and Apple’s new Time Capsule storage device, though you’ll need a Windows box to access all of the Admin-level stuff. Both devices also sport a 2.0 Ghz Celeron processor, 2GB of RAM, 4 drive bays, an eSATA port, 4 USB ports, Amazon S3 support, and much more, all running atop the latest vesion of Windows Home Server. The boxes also come complete with a customized version of Twonky’s streaming media server, allowing you to access your songs and photos from any computer with a broadband connection. All of this goodness comes at a price, however, with the 485 setting you back $599 and the 487 running you a cool $750. Given the feature set, however, we’re pretty confident that more than a few of you will be eager to scoop one of these things up when they become available on the 5th of January.

[Via Gizmodo]

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