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Apple's Imposed 802.11n Enabler Patch


kevin_4e
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Now that Apple has confirmed their new Mac systems are shipping with 802.11n capabilities, when do we get to take advantage of it? Currently, all of Apple’s Core 2 Duo products (except 17-inch 1.83GHz iMac and Mac Mini) plus the Mac Pro include the 802.11n wireless technology, but why does it appear hidden?

 

Apple has now come forth explaining their plans to offer an "AirPort Extreme 802.11n Enabler 1.0.” It is expected to come next month alongside with the release of their upgraded version of the AirPort Extreme wireless base station which will automatically enable it the 802.11n technologies.

 

For those who do not plan on upgrading to the new AirPort Extreme base station, and would prefer to continue to use their own third party wireless device, a US$5 fee comes along with the download of the 802.11n enabler patch.

 

Any reasoning behind the small fee is still unclear but legal matters is what is most likely the case.

"Because of the Act, the company believes that if it sells a product, then later adds a feature to that product, it can be held liable for improper accounting if it recognizes revenue from the product at the time of sale, given that it hasn’t finished delivering the product at that point.”

More information can be found at AppleInsider’s 802.11n Enabler Patch story.

 

Please make sure and share any comments or thoughts of Apple’s 802.11n enabler patch or fee.

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"Because of the Act, the company believes that if it sells a product, then later adds a feature to that product, it can be held liable for improper accounting if it recognizes revenue from the product at the time of sale, given that it hasn’t finished delivering the product at that point.”

Well, so they will impose a fee for BootCamp too?, since originally Intel Macs didn't supossed to run Windows/other OS.

 

I say Class Action Lawsuit :thumbsup_anim:

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Well, so they will impose a fee for BootCamp too?, since originally Intel Macs didn't supossed to run Windows/other OS.

 

I think the difference is in that 802.11.n was a hardware feature, that was actually there, but it wasn't advertised or enabled, whether Boot camp and other software improvements weren't on the product when it shipped at all. I still think this is silly, and if they needed to charge they could have charged .99 and make it a download.

 

Anyways, this will be on demonoid and such, seconds after it's out, so don't worry.

Edited by andazp
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Probably a case of hardware being there but the full-functionality firmware was not, hence the hardware/firmware system was not complete in a strict accounting sense. As for the charge, anything less than $5 would probably have cost them more to process than they actually received.

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So if you DONT buy their 802.11n wireless access point, you gotta pay $5 to them to enable the 802.11n on your mac? But if you buy their 802.11n wireless access point, you get the updated driver free? This here is horse ****. Except for Apple here, no other company would get away with this. I'm waiting for the legion of fan boys coming up here to explain this to us? If you had to pay no matter what, it might be more explainable, but the fact that you gotta pay because you didn't choose their higher priced 802.11n wireless access point is total BS. I call it extortion and hope a class action lawsuit comes their way.

 

If you think it's because of this law that says they can't make it free, remember when Apple introduced the 640x480 videos on iTunes when all its users were downloading 320x240 versions of videos on iTunes? And that the new ipod video was able to now play 640x480, and then they said with a free firmware upgrade, the current ipod video could play the 640x480 videos too instead of just 320x240?

 

Well shouldn't have that fallen under this law too? Guess not since Apple made it free. Their is no absolute reason for this other then Apple being greedy.

 

And if you think you'll just get it online for free elsewhere, Apple isn't targeting you with this. They are targeting the novice computer users who don't know better. This is why IMO it is unfair and an extortion that Apple is telling its users.

 

Tell me I'm wrong if you like, but I'd like to hear your reasoning why Apple is allowed to get away with this.

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Ok if you haven't figgured this out, I am surprised.....

 

There is a HUGE battle now over how people are going to get content to you... In addition Apple has gone through great lengths to get apple and more importantly Itunes into your home whether through a MAC, PC, Ipod, and now Apple TV and Iphone or what ever it is going to be called. Because of this huge PUSH for content on demand, and the "market" is going to be huge, companies like apple need to attract investors to build all of this new infrastructure, let alone finance all of the shinanagins. Subsequently, investors LOVE it when companies like Apple can institute nickel and dime tactics on a product and watch all the retards pay for it. I myself don't care about draft N because it is just that a DRAFT and not a standard. However, it does look like Apple has chosen draft N as its "standard"...don't know how smart that will be.

 

Get used to these types of tactics on all future products, wether apple or other companies. If you want to read about an interesting story about the birth of mass media, as I view the next venture of content on demand wars simular to the orginal mass media wars, Check out the patent dispute between Nicola Tesla and Marconi on the radio. Look who the investors were, and look at how the patent went back and forth. Now look at Steve jobs and his, I will say desperate attitude on the introduction of his Iphone. Remember whom Jobs talked to first on the Voice Mail, Al Gore, Mr ex-clinton, huge global trade global gov guy, a guy who would love all of us to buy our own tracking devices. In addition, on the key note speach, the first 2 things that Jobs shows off on the Google Map was the Washington Monument, sorry guys HUGE obelisk, and the Eiffel Tower, another HUGE obelisk, and to solidify the message the Roman Collieseam, the center of roman pacification of the masses. BTW, obelisks are signs of Power and Domination, and date back to the Egyptians, atleast that is what the docent said on my trip to Bath.

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people bitching about $5......boohooo, cry me a river

 

I don't mind paying the $4.99 they are asking, hell I paid $1500 for my MacBook. But I don't like the feeling of being held hostage for something I paid for fair and square.

 

 

Just my rant ;)

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I am not going to be an Apple fanboy, but lets think about this reasonably. Some paid for the hardware, ok that is fine. Now, we need to pay for the ability to use it. Now lets think of this in legal terms/financial terms. The Xbox could play dvds, but you have to add extra hardware/pay for it. Why? The license to play DVD's wasn't included in the Xbox's price. SO, about $10 of the remote was for the license. Now with Apple, you have the hardware but not software, which you never were paying for; you paid for the wireless connectivity up to G standards. So, to enable this added feature, you pay $5. I can see both sides, but if there is fee that must be paid, then ok but it kind of like splitting hairs. Windows can't play dvds out of the box (at least up XP, Vista RTM I don't know). Why? You didn't pay for the codec. So this patch is like a codec? Maybe but even the dvd example is splitting hairs to. Like I said, I can see both sides, but in the legal world you paid for hardware and the software, which it seems must be paid for, didn't come with your mac and isn't on the restore dvd's thus a fee. *shrugs* The world is about money. I don't see griping to much here since Apple is going forward with wireless technology ahead of others but I think the legal {censored} in all businesses gets a little much from time to time.

Edited by sandmanfvrga
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I just think the whole thing is kind of silly.

 

And no, I won't be going to the trouble of entering my credit card info or mailing a check with my checking account number boldly written on the front for a measly $5.

 

I DO expect to be getting this functionality anyways..... get my drift?

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its a Mac Mini not mac-mini :euro:

lol nope, you're wrong too. It's a 'Mac mini'. Check Apple's site or the packaging. My guess is that it's a small 'm' to show that it's really small/mini, hence they went with a miniscule!

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yea it isnt expected until '08 for the final specs to come out. but i believe there will a firmware upgrade that will allow the draft n cards to work with final N routers and vice-versa, but that is a whole different thread there.

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To all the people saying that they shouldn't have to pay for something they already bought (but hasn't been activated yet), well, obviously you are right.

 

I can't understand why anyone would defend a corporation's efforts to suck money out of consumer's pockets. That is what lawyers are for.

 

Then again, I guess people who own a new mac should be glad that they'll even get 802.11n. Apple could have told ya'll to just shove off. Apple probably figures that most people will feel privileged to get 802.11n, probably figure that most people will consider it a bonus and not care about $5 more. Probably, they are right. If I bought a brand new mac I'd pay another $5 to make it work.

 

but I don't really care...thanks to tubgirl. I love Os X and I would definitely pay for it, but I wouldn't buy another mac. but I then again I don't really care about Apple, and was never really interested in a mac (until Intel Macs).

 

SO, I don't think my opinion should be worth as much as someone who is actually going to have to decide whether to fork out more $, or go to the bay.

 

How did I start talking about this? I came here looking for "chain0 boot error" help... :unsure:

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