Apple’s AirPort Base Station was a revelation in 1999. While it cost $299 plus required a $99 AirPort Card in every Mac you wanted to use with it, this was much cheaper than all other options and it came with the friendly AirPort utility for configuration—far easier than competitors’ tools. (Apple actually licensed the hardware and software to package in its unique way.)
Apple abandoned its Wi-Fi base stations years ago, seemingly preferring to not compete in a market that increasingly produced inexpensive—but difficult to configure—base stations. And it sat out the mesh-networking revolution (go.macworld. com/msnt), which dramatically simplifies Wi-Fi network setup, but can cost two to four times comparable old-style Wi-Fi routers.
I increasingly get email from readers who have failing or kaput AirPort base station equipment and want to set up a network with the same simplicity, but at a lower cost than mesh options. Such readers are in the same situation I am in: we have some ethernet wiring or have strung some ethernet cables in the house to connect base stations and just want to swap out what we have for the latest. Mesh may sound great, but why not use the wiring we have?
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WINDOWS 10 ON M1 MACS: WHAT YOU CAN DO (VIRTUALIZATION, SORTA) AND CAN'T (BOOT CAMP)
VIRTUALIZATION IS KEY, BUT THE LACK OF A CONSUMER VERSION OF MICROSOFT’S M1 -COMPATIBLE OS KEEPS THE SITUATION IN DOUBT.
Mac 911
Solutions to your most vexing Mac problems.
AirVPN: Excellent service that power users will love
An excellent service with a known history, a solid network, and very good speeds.
AIRPODS MAX: OPULENT AUDIO THAT SHOULDN'T COST SO MUCH
APPLE’S HIGH-END HEADPHONES LOOK, SOUND, AND FEEL GREAT, BUT THE PRICE ISN’T RIGHT.
Tribit XFree Go headphone: Amazing sound, great price, and one glaring flaw
These cans sound like headphones that cost three or four times as much, but the controls on not one but two review units locked up after an hour or so of sustained use.
INPUT DEVICE: LOGITECH MX MASTER 3 MOUSE: LOGITECH STICKS WITH A WINNING FORMULA
I have two desktop Mac setups, one at home and one at the Macworld office (ah, going to the office, those were the days).
Hot Stuff
What we’re raving about this month
Bluesound Powernode 2i (with HDMI): Bodacious sound from a micro-sized box
This self-amplified multiroom music streamer delivers high-res audio experiences that Sonos won’t, but Bluesound’s user experience isn’t nearly as polished.
Aukey EP-N5: Entry-level ANC that gets it (mostly) right
Good sound and decent active noise canceling for a wallet-friendly price.
The case for a 12-inch MacBook Air
Go M1 and go smaller.
Big Shift for Marketers
We’ve Seen the Future and There Are No Cookies
YOU: INTERFACE DEEPER INTEGRATION IS COMING, JUST FOR YOU
According to a new study from WhistleOut, the average consumer spends an eye-watering nine years of their lives looking at their smartphones, and that’s without mentioning the use of computers, televisions, and other devices that increasingly control our lives.
EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT FOR ALL MANKIND SEASON 2 ON APPLE+
Ever imagined what would have happened had the Cold War space race never ended? What would have happened if the Soviets had been the first power to have a successful landing on the Moon? Well, you needn’t trouble yourselves anymore, as Apple TV+’s For All Mankind tells you exactly that. The show, created by Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi, was a hit for Apple when its first season debuted in November 2019. Today, we are discussing the show’s ongoing second season and the information we know about the announced third season.
STEVEN SPIELBERG'S AMAZING STORIES – WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH APPLE TV+'S NEW SHOW!
Back in 1985, famed director and Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg had his sciencefiction anthology, Amazing Stories, air on NBC from 1985 to 1987.
LITTLE THINGS: THE KEY PILLAR IN APPLE DESIGN & INNOVATION
Apple’s design language has changed a great deal in recent years, away from the silvers and rounded edges towards a modern, industrialinspired design, as sported by the iPad Pro and iPhone 12.
EPIC GAMES COMPLAINS ABOUT APPLE TO UK COMPETITION WATCHDOG
Epic Games submitted a complaint this week about Apple’s alleged “monopolistic practices” to the U.K. competition watchdog, which is investigating the iPhone maker over concerns it has a dominant position in app distribution.
Disinfect Your Phone and Electronics
Once again, though, these aren’t normal times—so if you want to de-germify, grab the same solution you made for your phone, spray it on one of those disposable microfiber cloths, and wipe down the entire surface. The same goes for over-the-ear headphones.
CHIPS AWAY: SEMICONDUCTOR SHORTAGE WREAKING HAVOC IN TECH
As Samsung Electronics warns that it’s grappling with the fallout of a “serious imbalance” in semiconductors, the technology world could be about to enter its own ‘lockdown’. From the PlayStation 5 to the new Tesla Model S, virtually every device maker could be forced to temporarily halt production, caught off-guard and causing delays to 2021 product pipelines.
APPLE TV+ GIVES A STRAIGHT-TO SERIES ORDER FOR LADY IN THE LAKE
Apple announced on March 10, 2021, that it had given a straight-to-series order for a new TV show titled Lady in the Lake.
LAKLAND Skyline J-Sonic
A classically-styled Jazz with a sonic twist... does that sound interesting? You bet it does, says Mike Brooks