Airport Base Station Refresh Soon? [Updated] - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Airport Base Station Refresh Soon? [Updated]

According to the Online Apple Store, the Airport Extreme Base Station's ship date has slipped to "mid-November". Such a delay would seem to indicate Apple is readying a revision is nearing. However, the extent of the revision is not currently known, as the update may simply be to pass relatively new European environmental regulations (RoHS) that has stopped the sale of the base station and the iSight in Europe since June 30th. The iSight is also facing a similar shipping delay, with a stated ship date of October for U.S. online apple store customers.

Note: Users hoping for an update that supports the upcoming IEEE 802.11n spec may not want to hold their breath, as the spec has faced repeated delays and currently is not expected to get final approval until 2008. While Apple's original Airport base station was "pre-802.11b" compliant and a firmware upgrade made the station compatible with the finalized spec, the current situation is different and the changing nature will likely render any "pre-802.11n" devices not compatible with the final specification (making an adoption by Apple unlikely at this time).

Update: Forum member treblah has pointed out that while IEEE certification of the spec is a ways off, the WiFi alliance will most likely certify to some degree the draft specification for pre-N products.

Also of note, in June the primary makers of 802.11n chip-sets claimed interoperability which was a large barrier towards certification.

Related Forum: Networking

Popular Stories

iOS 27 Next to iPhone

Here's When iOS 27 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: It's Out]

Sunday September 13, 2026 3:00 am PDT by
Update 10:04 a.m.: iOS 27 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Apple is about to release iOS 27, which will finally deliver more advanced Siri AI capabilities as well as a variety of other refinements, improvements, and new features to iPhones. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at Wednesday's iPhone event...
iOS 27 Icon iPhone

iOS 27 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday September 14, 2026 9:00 am PDT by
Update — 10 a.m. Pacific Time: Apple has released iOS 27. During its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo event last week, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released widely on Monday, September 14. iOS 27 should be available around 10 a.m. Pacific Time / 1 p.m. Eastern Time today via the Settings app, under General → Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight new features and...
Apple iCloud Plus expansion hero

iCloud+ Now Includes Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and Curated Apple Music Stations in Over 100 Countries

Tuesday September 15, 2026 1:43 am PDT by
Apple today announced a new subscription initiative that turns paid iCloud+ subscriptions into a broader services bundle in more than 100 countries. In select countries, Apple says every paid iCloud+ plan, including the cheapest 50GB tier, now includes Apple TV and Apple Arcade "at no additional cost," while family sharing extends the storage, TV and Arcade access to up to five people....