8 Comments

Feel like bashing Apple for charging 802.11n access?

January 16, 2007 by in Apple with 8 Comments

Crunchgear recently chimed in concerning the latest decision by Apple to charge for 802.11n access on Intel Macs which shipped with inactive hardware support. You can find the original write-up concerning the anticipated charge for “unlocking” the higher speed draft-N on Apple Insider.

An innocent commentor aims to set the masses straight concerning the news:

If you guys want Press passes to these events, you really should do some journalism.

Apple is required to charge for the upgrade to the hardware because adding new features to an existing product opens them up to accusations of fradulent accounting under Sarbanes Oxley. (EG: they counted the revenue when the machine was sold, but if they add this feature, then SOX insists that the machine wasn’t delivered until the last feature was delivered.)

Well there you have it, no more bashing Apple for planning to charge users to unlock their draft-N 802.11 hardware.


  • Cynic821

    Software unlocker will be on bit torrent in minutes of first recieved shipments of the Airport extreme.

  • Adam Potts

    $5 is a hell of a lot less than I’ll have to pay to get N-Compliant. One should be so lucky…

  • Cynic821

    doesnt take luck to go and buy a Mac. :/

  • Roberto Felgueiras

    Cynic821

    It may not take luck to get a mac, but it sucks for anyone who had purchased a MBP Core Duo (quietly raises his hand), which is not compliant. I’m not getting a new Lappy just for that. A new card maybe, but that would put me in the same boat as Adam Potts there. It would cost a touch more the a five spot. Then again, I’ll have to make a further investment to get a n-compiant router.

  • Cynic821

    Too bad :(

    Heres a tissue,

    i sold my old MBP for new MBP when they came out. Never a complaint over here.

  • Adam Potts

    No need to be snarky Cynic. Not only have I bought a Mac, I’ve bought two within the last year, neither being Core 2 Duo machines with the sleeper N card. All I was saying is that those who were lucky enough to get one (and yes, it was luck, as Apple didn’t publicize the fact that the machines contained N capable cards) were getting a bargain, being able to make the jump from G to N for only $5.

  • SimonSez

    That is the biggest load of crap I’ve ever heard … So everytime I run Windows Update or Symantec LiveUpdate it “opens them up to accusations of fradulent accounting under Sarbanes Oxley”. I’m calling bullshit on that.

  • SADFdew

    That is total BS. Otherwise why would dell not charge you when you install xp? Why would microsoft not charge you to install it?

    Why would any device not charge you for new updates?

    I think its a case of lets charge them as steve jobs needs a new boat.

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