“Core 2 Duo-based Mac owners who want to unlock next-generation 802.11n wireless technologies hidden inside their computers will first have to fork a few bucks over to Apple,” Katie Marsal and Kasper Jade report for AppleInsider. “That’s unless they plan to plunk down $179 for the company’s forthcoming 802.11n-enabled AirPort Extreme Base Station, with which the unlocking fee (and 802.11n software enabler patch) are reportedly included.”
Marsal and Jade report, “You see, Apple for the last several months has quietly been shipping the majority of its Core 2 Duo systems with inactive support for the draft 802.11n specification, an emerging wireless standard that promises fivefold speed increases over previous-generation 802.11g products.”
“The company said that it plans to offer an ‘AirPort Extreme 802.11n Enabler 1.0’ patch next month when it begins shipping its new AirPort Extreme Base Station, which will activate the technology. ‘Most new Mac computers ship with built-in 802.11n wireless support that can be easily enabled with the installation of enabler software included with new AirPort Extreme wireless base station,’ Apple wrote on its website,” Marsal and Jade report.
Marsal and Jade report, “What the company did not say is that Core 2 Duo Mac owners who want to unlock 802.11n capabilities for use with third party wireless solutions will have to pay a small $4.99 fee before downloading the 802.11n enabler patch.”
Full article here.
The reason for the fee, Jeremy Horwitz reports for iLounge is that “the Core 2 Duo Macs weren’t advertised as 802.11n-ready, and a little law called the Sarbanes-Oxley Act supposedly prohibits Apple from giving away an unadvertised new feature for one of its products. Hence, said the Apple rep, the company’s not distributing new features in Software Update any more, just bug fixes. Because of Sarbanes-Oxley… It’s about accounting. Because of the Act, the company believes that if it sells a product, then later adds a feature to that product, it can be held liable for improper accounting if it recognizes revenue from the product at the time of sale, given that it hasn’t finished delivering the product at that point.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Rainy Day” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Apple’s new AirPort Extreme ‘AirPort Disk’ feature: cheap, simple network storage for home networks – January 15, 2007
Apple’s new AirPort Extreme supports 802.11n, enables wireless streaming of HD media – January 10, 2007
Apple introduces new AirPort Extreme with 802.11n – January 09, 2007
Another way they could have dealt with it was to put somewhere in small print, something about the fact that at some future date, the card could be updated to N. Then they would have officially “advertised” it.
Regardless, this is the most idiotic law I’ve ever heard of. Politicians are about the the lowest level of filth in the sewer. What a world we could live in if they actually attempted to do GOOD WORK!
Bittorent should be busy…
Since the Sarbanes-Oxley Act has no force or effect in Canada, the UK or anywhere else in the world other than the US I have to assume the upgrade will be free for Canadians, Brits, etc….right? Whatever. If it is just about some obscure piece of legislation than why not make the fee $0.50 – it will not cost Apple $5 per customer to collect this fee – there is no delivery charge, no packaging, no fees of any kind other than a credit card processing fee for which Apple cannot be paying more than $0.10 – $0.25. Why the five dollar charge then?
Also since the hardware already shipped with this ability included – and this is just a software upgrade how is this any different than any other software update that has the net benefit of extending the features of something already in the market. For example newer versions of iTunes have improved users ability to manage their iPods through the iTunes window does this require a restating of all iPod income for the past five years?
This is a cash grab pure and simple. This is rubbish Apple pure rubbish…
fine then apple should make it a $.99 download from itunes.
Leave it to the politicians to punish consumers for the trangressions of Enron and Worldcom.
Hmmmm,
Don’t you guys get it. Apple is shoving the whole SEC thing back at them. The back dating scandel is only a scandel because the SEC decided to get tough on something that was sort of OK many years ago. OK you want to play tough, we have to follow all the rules of your stupid rules, $4.95 for features per your rules. Now if you do not force everyone else to do the same thing you will be guilty of only inforcing the rules you want.
“Because of Sarbanes-Oxley… It’s about accounting. Because of the Act, the company believes that if it sells a product, then later adds a feature to that product, it can be held liable for improper accounting if it recognizes revenue from the product at the time of sale, given that it hasn’t finished delivering the product at that point.”
The backdating scandel hit over 200 companies because it was not really against the law until the SEC decided to re-interpert their rules. So if the rules are fixed, you have to follow them, right?? In fact, everyone should have to follow every letter of every law, or……. maybe fix the laws?????
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” /> Just a thought.
Its one of the few ways you can get the government to back off on stupid rules.
N.
This smell fishy, but, IANAL, nor am I a SOX expert.
I have a funny feeling that Apple is using SOX as an excuse to collect revenue, but, in fairness, I have no proof.
This is poor customer service, regardless; surely they could have found some way around it.
Apple has, up to now, been really great about stuff like this. I’m particularly pleased about their free upgrades to orders in the pipeline.
Yet, isn’t this the same thing: the new stuff wasn’t advertised, and the customer got something they didn’t expect. This isn’t trivial: my daughter got a free upgrade from an iMac Core 1 duo to an iMac Core 2 duo and a lower price. And she even got the free iPod that came with the iMac Core 1, even tho that wasn’t offered with the iMac Core 2 duo.
I’m getting a bit concerned about Apple getting a bit too full of themselves (its early, to be fair). My other data point is the iPhone name: I don’t understand why Apple is being so aggressive with Cisco over iPhone – this is tacky and pushy. I expect better from Apple. Particularly after they renamed iTv to Apple TV.
TowerTone? “Damn Republicans!”? SOX sucks in this case, but it was voted in favor of, 99-0, by a DEMOCRATICALLY CONTROLLED SENATE in 2002.
And believe me, given the political tone of the day, the Democrats would have crucified Bush had he not signed it into law.
To those who love big government, congratulations, you’ve got it.
Maybe Apple can add new features to iTunes ‘for free’ because they don’t charge money directly for iTunes software. They already have accounting in place to covr that. The ongoing revenue they receive for song downloads and iPods can and does offset the cost of adding features to iTunes and can probably be accounted for from that continuous revenue stream.
I’m not at all sure about the in’s and out’s of SOX but I do know this: I don’t like like this repercussion of it!
I really wonder what this might mean for using software to add functionality to the iPhone down the road!
So this means it’ll be free in Canada and the rest of the world, right?
I don’t see Apple actually increasing their revenue with this kind of small fry, especially compared to the overhead it will generate.
Bob: I’m going to wager the cost of the unlocking fee that TowerTone was being sarcastic. Want in?
OBill-Wan Kenobi, what mac mini upgrades are you talking about? I have a 1.66 Core Duo with a DVD+RW as well. Did I miss something?
so now tha means that ALL software updates will be either delayed until new mac os x version..( so we can pay for it) or we will have to pay 5 bucks to get the next increment in the Itunes software for example…I’m right here..or what…cuz that would suck big time….although you can’t blame apple…just covering it’s ass
TowerTone: If you stop at Starbuck’s, you won’t have enough left over for the unlocking fee. You’ve been warned. And would bitch lines form to the far left or the far right?
stupid law !
does anybody in the USA know that NOBODY has credit cards in Belgium ? (unless u have a boring job for some institution), u need a salary to have one, if u are free lance, or work in a bar, an artist, a musician, u can’t get one !, even if u make millions.
we can’t use iTunes Music Store, we can’t buy stuff from the internet, and we can’t get this stupid upgrade !
@ poo:
I work at a broadcaster in Canada, and my login password at work needs to be changed every few weeks. When I asked if the amount of time the password needs to be changed could be lengthened the IT guy said no, they have to comply with Sarbanes-Oxley. I don’t know if the companies adherence is voluntary in Canada, but there you go.
Canada–no. Sorry, Apple is a US company and has to abide by US law, regardless of where the product is shipping. Even if the law blows. Maybe this will make some Macheads understand that it matters who you elect, or allow to be elected through innaction. This law might have some arcane purpose, but I agree that it was probably innacted because of a handful of bad apples working a loophole in the tax structure. So every company has new regulation and new forms to file every quarter. This law is most likely a NET loss to the economy.
They start at the left AND the right and go towards the middle-where people are just trying to work…
Hey Bob
My name is TowerTone,
And I am a sarcastic conservative.
Please don’t tell my parents.
They hate sarcasm…
oh, and Bob
The left is gonna crucify the President no matter what.
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They hate Bush.
Especially Barney Frank
easy does it guys, easy does it…
We are so ashamed. <heavy sighs and eyes roll>
And he had the nerve to ask us for the money for some “unlocking fee.” Yeah, right. He probably just wanted to buy more W stickers. He sneaks out late at night and slaps them on the bumpers of VW buses covering up their “May the Fetus You Save be a Black Gay Wiccan Democrat” stickers.
This just points one truism that has been around for hundreds, if not thousands, of years:
Kill all the lawyers.
If this act was passed in 2002, how did Apple get away with updating Aperture to 1.5 for free?