News: Apple Quietly Updates Time Capsules

With supplies drying up before WWDC, and “AirPort” being replaced by “Wi-Fi” on recent builds of OS X Lion, many thought Apple would be renewing or replacing the Time Capsule and AirPort Extreme with some sort of iCloud involvement. Instead, there was only a minor tweak in that the Time Capsule now holds 2TB or 3TB.

The pricing for the new devices is $299 for 2TB or $399 for 3TB. AppleInsider reported on the other updates, or lack therof:

The official page still advertises the ability to wirelessly and automatically back up a Mac with the Time Capsule, as well as the hardware’s included dual-band 802.11n wireless base station. It also has the same dimensions, at 7.7-by-7.7 inches.

The lack of new advertised functionality quashes earlier rumors that an updated Time Capsule could be powered by Apple’s iOS lightweight operating system found on the iPhone, iPad and new Apple TV. It was suggested that a transition could allow for more robust features, like print and media streaming services, integration with iCloud, and cached wireless software updates.

While the Time Capsule was quietly updated on Tuesday, a refresh of Apple’s AirPort Extreme router is also expected to arrive in the near future, having recently been outed by a filing with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. Stock of both Time Capsules and AirPort Extreme base stations had run dry at Apple retail stores and third-party resellers in recent weeks.