Apple Charges For 802.11n, Blames Accounting Law

Posted by kdawson on Tuesday January 16, 2007 @10:18AM from the don't-release-early-or-often dept.

If you have a Core 2 Duo Macintosh, the built-in WLAN card is capable of networking using (draft 2) 802.11n. This capability can be unlocked via an update Apple distributes with the new AirPort Extreme Base Station. Or, they will sell it to you for $4.99. Why don't they give it away for free, say with Software Update? Because of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (which was passed in the wake of the Enron scandal). iLounge quotes an Apple representative: "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."

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Re:Don't tell Microsoft! by ronocdh · 2007-01-16 19:17 · Score: 0, Flamebait

Back to Apple, because they never advertised it as 802.11n, customers couldn't in good conscience be considered to have bought it expecting .11n. Apple never guaranteed .11n functionality at time of purchase, so .11n functionality wasn't something they 'sold'.
Wrong. Visit http://www.apple.com/airportextreme/ and, for an even better look, http://www.apple.com/wireless/80211/. Looks to me like they are indeed advertising it.