AirPort Specs History

Released in June 2013, the fifth-generation model was renamed AirPort Time Capsule and featured a new design measuring 3.85 inches (9.8 cm) square and 6.6 inches (17 cm) tall. Its footprint was similar to the latest AirPort Express and Apple TV (2nd generation and later), though it was considerably taller. While the height increased significantly over the previous generation, the I/O ports remained the same. Capacities remained identical to the fourth generation at 2 TB and 3 TB, while introducing the latest 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard.

On June 10, 2013, the AirPort Extreme Base Station was updated to support the 802.11ac protocol. Keeping the same name, the new model was redesigned compared to the previous five generations, featuring a smaller footprint of just 3.85 inches (9.8 cm) square and a height of 6.6 inches (16.8 cm), making it 64% smaller than the previous generation. Apple equipped the new model with six antennas, three for the 2.4 GHz band and three for the 5 GHz band. It was identical in dimensions and I/O ports to the simultaneously released AirPort Time Capsule, lacking only the built-in hard drive.

On June 11, 2012, Apple introduced an updated AirPort Express with support for simultaneous dual-band 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi.

In June 2011, Apple again increased the hard drive capacities across the lineup. A 2 TB Time Capsule was priced at $299 (replacing the 1 TB model), while a new 3 TB model was introduced for $499.

On June 21, 2011, Apple released an updated AirPort Extreme Base Station, designated as AirPort Extreme 802.11n (5th Generation).

On October 20, 2009, Apple updated the Time Capsule with improved antennas for better wireless performance in terms of speed and range. Apple claimed this resulted in Time Machine backups to the Time Capsule being up to 60% faster.

On March 3, 2009, the AirPort Extreme was updated to support simultaneous dual-band 802.11n, remote AirPort Disk access via "Back to My Mac," and the ability to broadcast a guest network. Simultaneous dual-band allowed users to set up two Wi-Fi networks (one at 2.4 GHz and another at 5 GHz) from the same AirPort Extreme Base Station, enabling more efficient network segmentation. On October 20, 2009, Apple released an updated AirPort Extreme Base Station with improved antennas for better speed and range.

Time Capsule is a wireless network-attached storage device manufactured by Apple Inc., positioned as a backup device to be used with the Time Machine backup utility introduced in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. The device includes a full AirPort Extreme Base Station (with 802.11n wireless, an Ethernet WAN port, and three Ethernet LAN ports). Storage is provided by what Apple calls a "server-grade" hard drive. In early 2009, Apple released new models offering simultaneous 802.11n dual-band operation to allow older devices to use lower wireless speeds without affecting overall performance. Simultaneously released was the Guest Network feature, allowing guests to log in with a separate password to keep the private network secure.

On March 3, 2009, the AirPort Extreme was updated to support simultaneous dual-band 802.11n, remote AirPort Disk access via "Back to My Mac," and the ability to broadcast a guest network. Simultaneous dual-band allowed users to set up two Wi-Fi networks (one at 2.4 GHz and another at 5 GHz) from the same AirPort Extreme Base Station, enabling more efficient network segmentation. On October 20, 2009, Apple released an updated AirPort Extreme Base Station with improved antennas for enhanced wireless performance.

AirPort Express is a simplified and compact version of the AirPort Extreme Base Station. It supports up to 10 users and includes a feature called AirTunes. It does not replace the AirPort Extreme Base Station. Introduced by Apple on June 7, 2004, it includes an analog/optical mini-audio output jack, a USB port for remote printing, and a single Ethernet port. An updated version supporting the faster 802.11n draft specification and operating in both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands was released on March 17, 2008, with almost identical features.

Time Capsule is a wireless network-attached storage device manufactured by Apple Inc., positioned as a backup device to be used with the Time Machine backup utility introduced in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. The device includes a full AirPort Extreme Base Station (with 802.11n wireless, an Ethernet WAN port, and three Ethernet LAN ports). Storage is provided by what Apple calls a "server-grade" hard drive, with capacities of 500 GB or 1 TB. It was announced at the 2008 Macworld Expo and released in February 2008, with the 500 GB version priced at $299 and the 1 TB version at $499.

On January 9, 2007, the AirPort Extreme was updated to support 802.11a/b/g and Draft-N protocols. This revision also added two LAN ports, bringing the total to three. It featured a squarer design, similar in size to the first-generation Apple TV and Mac mini, and matching many other Apple products. The new AirPort Disk feature allowed users to plug a USB hard drive into the AirPort Extreme for use as a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device for Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows clients. Users could also connect USB hubs and printers. On August 7, 2007, the AirPort Extreme was updated with Gigabit Ethernet.

On January 9, 2007, the AirPort Extreme was updated to support 802.11a/b/g and Draft-N protocols. This revision also added two LAN ports, bringing the total to three. It featured a squarer design, similar in size to the first-generation Apple TV and Mac mini, and matching many other Apple products. The new AirPort Disk feature allowed users to plug a USB hard drive into the AirPort Extreme for use as a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device for Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows clients. Users could also connect USB hubs and printers.

In June 2004, Apple released AirPort Express, a scaled-down version of the AirPort Extreme Base Station with AirTunes support. AirTunes allowed iTunes music to be streamed wirelessly to a hi-fi system. This AirPort Express base station was very compact, supporting up to 10 connections, and while it lacked standard Ethernet ports (having only one), it featured an analog/optical digital audio jack. In Japan, it was known as AirMac due to trademark issues.

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Released alongside the AirPort Extreme Base Station, the AirPort Extreme Card was offered as an option for existing models. Based on a Broadcom 802.11g chipset, it was housed in a mechanically proprietary custom casing but was electrically compatible with the Mini PCI standard. It was also user-installable. Variations of the AirPort Extreme Card included A-1010 (early North American), A-1026 (current North American), A-1027 (Europe/Asia, extra channels), and A-1095 (unknown). Different 802.11g cards were included in the final generation of PowerPC-based PowerBooks and iBooks, notable for being among the first to offer a "combo" card with both 802.11g and Bluetooth.

At the 2003 Macworld Expo, Apple introduced the AirPort Extreme with support for up to 54 Mbps and wireless printing over USB. The AirPort Extreme Card debuted in the 12-inch and 17-inch PowerBook G4 models.

At the 2003 Macworld Expo, Apple introduced the AirPort Extreme with support for up to 54 Mbps and wireless printing over USB. The AirPort Extreme Card debuted in the 12-inch and 17-inch PowerBook G4 models.

In November 2001, Apple released AirPort 2, an upgrade to its predecessor that supported up to 50 connections, 128-bit encryption, and Windows PC support. Additionally, the AirPort 2 base station featured a DSL WAN port for routing.

The original model, simply called the AirPort Card, was a rebranded Lucent WaveLAN Gold PC card with a modified case that lacked an integrated antenna. It was designed to be user-installable. This modification prevented it from being used directly in a generic PCMCIA slot (making it much cheaper than the official WaveLAN Gold card at the time). Using it in slot-loading iMacs required an AirPort Card Adapter.

In 1999, Apple partnered with Lucent Technologies to release AirPort, a new technology launched alongside the original iBook. It was a wireless LAN network supporting speeds up to 11 Mbps (faster than 10Base-T Ethernet). The base station was essentially an Ethernet hub and modem router used to share an internet connection among Macs on an AirPort wireless network.