“Apple on Thursday confirmed reports that it plans to charge customers a fee to download software that will enable the 802.11n capability in the Wi-Fi chips found in some MacBook and MacBook Pro systems. But it won’t cost $5, as many reports indicated. It will cost $1.99, and will be available on Apple’s Web site, said Lynn Fox, an Apple spokeswoman,” Tom Krazit reports for CNET News.
“Every Mac with Intel’s Core 2 Duo or Xeon processor has the 802.11n chip, except for the 17-inch iMac with the 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo chip, Apple announced last week at Macworld. Customers who purchase the new $179 Airport Extreme Base Station also unveiled at Macworld will get the software for free,” Krazit reports.
Krazit reports, “‘The nominal distribution fee for the 802.11n software is required in order for Apple to comply with generally accepted accounting principles for revenue recognition, which generally require that we charge for significant feature enhancements, such as 802.11n, when added to previously purchased products,’ Fox said in a statement.”
Full article here.
Related articles:
Apple to impose 802.11n ‘unlocking fee’ on Intel Mac owners – January 16, 2007
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
“To all of you who claim that Apple are correctly interpreting SOX. WHY DID THEY NOT CHARGE FOR Boot Camp ?”
Boot Camp is a BETA. It doesn’t need to be accounted for because it’s an unfinished product.
>Daniel wrote: Boot Camp is a BETA. It doesn’t need to be accounted for because it’s an unfinished product.
Hmmm… Source? Link?
Beta software does have quite a bit of costing to be done. The costs don’t hit the books only when the software makes it to the street for sale. They’re applied as they’re incurred (wages, R&D, legal, etc).
To the new-found SOX experts, why doesn’t Apple charge for Boot Camp?
Come on up to the great white north where we wear sox – but its still a choice. Save the$1.99. Get your prescriptions filled at the same time. The trip will pay for itself. Of course on your return you may be asked at the border if you’ve upgraded your mac to “N” while you’ve been out of the country. I’ve been told from a very reliable source that compliance with SOX is now the number 1 priority for Homeland Security. Good thing too!
The $1.99 isn’t the point, it’s the dubious explanation offered by the Apple flack. It just doesn’t hold water, either on the grounds of SOX or on accounting principles. That’s why I said the explanation was poppycock in the first place. To-day we have independent confirmation that no accounting principle requires this charge. See:
http://www.247wallst.com/2007/01/steve_jobs_is_r.html
Maybe the real story will emerge in time as to what the reason for the charge is. Perhaps the idea is to set a precedent, in case one is needed.
Meanwhile, my rectangular Airport with n capability is on order and my mid range MacBook with n capability is on its way. So I am escaping the $1.99. Smart, eh?
> CuriousGeorgeCA wrote: Maybe the real story will emerge in time as to what the reason for the charge is. Perhaps the idea is to set a precedent, in case one is needed.
Good insight!
Do you think this rumor could have anything to do with it?
“RUMOR: Apple to charge $29 for final Boot Camp release”
http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/12384/
I commented that Apple charging for Boot Camp may seem predatory because there was a third-party movement to allow Windows-booting on a Mac. Since Apple released Boot Camp and didn’t charge for it, they essentially killed third-party development.
Kill the competition by not charging for a product, and when the competition is dead, institute a charge. Defending that in court isn’t easy.