Last night, Apple released Airport Utility 5.5.3, a minor bug release update for both Apple’s AirPort Extreme base stations as well as Time Capsule. More interesting, though, is reference within the update to incoming updates to Apple’s two wireless routers. Are these the iOS-running, A5-equipped Time Capsules we’ve been waiting for?
Apple has already revealed that Steve Jobs will talk about iCloud, iOS 5 and OS X Lion during his WWDC keynote on Monday morning.
In addition, it’s rumored that Apple’s wireless Time Capsule backup/router will get a big update.
Here’s how iCloud and the new Time Capsule will work, according to a source close to the company who asked not be identified. It’s pretty surprising:
Following reports that Apple will refresh the Time Capsule line-up at next week’s WWDC, possibly to enable background caching of software updates, comes new word about what to expect: the new Time Capsules will run on iOS and come with embedded A4 or A5 CPUS.
As Apple retail stores begin to clear their inventories of the AirPort and Time Capsule wireless networking devices, could Apple be planning a refresh for these devices during WWDC next week?
If you’re read this expecting to see Linus Torvalds and Steve Jobs exchange body blows in court, read the headline again: that homophone can be confusing, the ‘e’ matters and the company we’re talking about here is Linex, a Florida company that licenses wireless technology.
Even so, Linex and Apple are revving up to go to court, and if Linex has its way, the import of all MacBooks will be banned, along with Apple’s Airport Extreme and Time Capsule products.
With Time Capsules epidemically failing after an average of 18 months and 22 days, it might be time to start thinking about an alternative use for your pristinely albino, Apple-branded router once its body squirts out its last breath of 802.11-n ectoplasm.
Why not turn it into a lovely gift box? Over at Instructables, there’s a handy little tutorial on how to convert a Time Capsule into an ornamental box worthy of display, simply by prying it open, gutting it, then adding hinges and a silk cushion.
Not the most revolutionary use for an old Time Capsule’s casing, certainly, but this would be great presentation for, say, an iPod Touch gifted to a loved one later this month, and it can even be reused as a jewelry box or even a humidor (for cigars or the disembodied fingers of people who owed you money, you decide).