Apple announces over 150,000 AirPort Extreme products sold

Apple today announced in a press release that more than 150,000 AirPort Extreme wireless networking products have been sold this past quarter, representing nearly half of all 802.11 products the company shipped during the quarter. AirPort Extreme is the next generation of Wi-Fi wireless networking technology based on the new ultra-fast 802.11g standard. Compatible with millions of 802.11b-based Wi-Fi products, 802.11g offers data rates almost five times faster and is quickly gaining widespread acceptance as the next generation standard for wireless networking.

“Apple was the first computer company to ship 802.11b products with the launch of AirPort in 1999, and now we’re the first company to ship 802.11g in volume with AirPort Extreme,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of Hardware Product Marketing in the press release. “802.11g-based AirPort Extreme runs five times faster than 802.11b, but it’s fully backward compatible with the millions of 802.11b Wi-Fi products.”

AirPort Extreme works with the installed base of 802.11b devices, including public Hot Spots and Wi-Fi certified 802.11b Windows solutions. With up to 50 users per base station, AirPort Extreme supports many more users than typical base stations, providing the flexibility and power to service both homes and schools. AirPort Extreme Base Stations offer advanced features such as a USB port for low-cost wireless USB printer sharing and the ability to bridge up to four additional AirPort Extreme Base Stations together.

Apple’s new 17-inch PowerBook G4 includes the AirPort Extreme Card, and for AirPort Extreme-enabled systems, including the 12-inch PowerBook G4, 17-inch flat-screen iMac and new Power Mac G4 desktops, the card is available for just $99. Starting at just $199, the 802.11g AirPort Extreme Base Station operates at up to 54 Mbps – nearly five times faster than 802.11b technology.