Airport Extreme Base Station now with Gigabit Ethernet

Apple has quietly updated one more product today. Hidden at the end of the iMac press release we find out that the Airport Extreme Base Station now sports Gigabit Ethernet ports (one WAN, 3 for devices) whereas only yesterday they were 100baseT. The Airport Extreme Base Station tech specs haven't been updated on its own site as of yet, but the picture above was snagged from the Apple Store. They are still priced at $179.
Thanks, Stephen Chan.

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Angela said 4:30PM on 8-07-2007
Crap, now I have to replace the one we just bought a month ago!
Yikes, my C/C companies are going to looove us this month.
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mentalsticks said 4:35PM on 8-07-2007
I hate it when Apple updates their stuff after a couple of months. Why don't they come out with the good stuff immediately?
OTOH, maybe they just listen to their customers.
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Angela said 4:49PM on 8-07-2007
Right, why can't they get it right the first time? I spent a lot of money on a unit which didn't have the standard gigabit which most of those in that price-point have anyway. What gives? Really, it's a ripoff. Actually, with the diminished reception we've had since 10.4.10, I'm leary of even getting another one until things are more polished. There are too many gamers in our family who are complaining.
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Mo said 5:15PM on 8-07-2007
If it having gigabit ethernet was *such* a big deal, you wouldn't have bought the Airport in the first place.
Personally? My old Airport Express is working just fine, though I want an Extreme for the Airport Disk stuff (I must confess, the extra three ethernet ports help). It having gigabit is nice, but only *really* useful if you're hammering an 802.11n connection to it, or shifting stuff between wired computers that use the AE as a switch.
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joe said 5:22PM on 8-07-2007
Nice... This is a good reason to pick one up finally. I can get rid of the gigabit hub and the wireless router and replace it with an all in one... Oh and it is n as well, my old wireless is still g.
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SweetBlue said 5:23PM on 8-07-2007
Does anyone know if this is via a firmware update, or is it new hardware??
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scott said 5:28PM on 8-07-2007
@Sweetblue
New hardware, the gigabit switch is hardware based.
You know, this is the first time that Apple has updated stuff EXACTLY as i was about to purchase, it's a wonderful feeling.
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Adam Turetzky said 5:30PM on 8-07-2007
Are they accepting trade-ins from us "early adopters"?
Damit! I knew I should have waited.
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Scotty said 5:40PM on 8-07-2007
That's all good but how about adding a 2nd USB port for those of us who have BOTH a hard drive and a printer...
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Khurt Williams said 5:50PM on 8-07-2007
I did not wait per se...802.11n was just not a compelling reason to replace my current 802.11g device. When I want to move large chunks of data I use a FireWire drive.
When my current 802.11g device dies I will take another look at the AirPort Extreme.
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big E said 6:05PM on 8-07-2007
i just purchased a refurb that has not arrived yet....not sure what options are avail to me
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Jason said 6:25PM on 8-07-2007
"That's all good but how about adding a 2nd USB port for those of us who have BOTH a hard drive and a printer..."
Actually, just add a USB hub to the router - I have three hard drives and a printer working perfectly off a single USB hob on the airport extreme. . .
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Ryan said 6:26PM on 8-07-2007
This makes me angry... I remember them saying "Gigabit isnt needed" blah blah blah bullshit.
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artifex said 8:34PM on 8-07-2007
Hey, all you people who aren't actually doing intranet transfers, there's no need to upgrade to the latest one, because your DSL or FIOS or cable won't get any faster.
And for the rest of you owners, have they worked out the remote disk bugs?
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mph said 10:09PM on 8-07-2007
And so for the avg everyday user, the difference between the 10/100 and gigabit is...
Note: I use my airport exclusively wirelessly, and I'd be surprised if I ever even hit the .11n speeds
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