Apple's new AirPort Extreme is based on the snappy new 802.11n wireless protocol.

 

Lost in the iPhone and Apple TV excitement at last January's Mac Expo, Apple's AirPort Extreme ($179) was revealed, and it's now shipping. We got ours today. Here's a first look at the AirPort Extreme, complete with photos. We also include some preliminary test results on the last page of this article; we'll follow up with a complete review of the device in the May issue of Mac|Life, which will be released in late March.

 

Box Shots: Only in the age of the Internet can something as mundane-sounding as unboxing become an exciting event to record with photos. So, for all you folks who think that unwrapping a product is just as exciting as the product itself, we've recorded the unboxing of the AirPort Extreme.

 

The box measures 7.13 inches wide, 6.81 inches tall, and 2.56 inches deep. The box wasn't sealed closed, but since this is a loaner unit from Apple, the open box isn't a surprise - Apple probably tested the unit before sending it to us.

 

Box front.

 

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Box side.

 

 

Box rear.

 

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The AirPort Extreme is wrapped in clear plastic.

 

 

Apple places the software CDs, documentation, and power equipment underneath the AirPort Extreme.

 

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You have to provide your own Ethernet cables. Apple includes the 802.11n software enabler for your Intel Core 2 Duo-based Mac.

 

 

Power adapter.

 

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That's an activity indicator light on the lower right.

 

 

From left to right: power, USB, Ethernet WAN port for your broadband modem, three Fast Ethernet ports (there's no Gigabit Ethernet), small reset button, Kensington lock hole.

 

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The Mac mini is .62 inches taller than the AirPort Extreme. We know you're not supposed to stack anything on top of the Mac mini (doing so blocks the AirPort and Bluetooth antennae) - we're just providing this shot to give you a size perspective.

 

 

After you install the 802.11n updater, Network Utility (Applications/Utilities) will show that your Mac has been n-powered.

 

 

Up and Running: For this first look, we connected the AirPort Extreme to Mac|Life's network to get the thing up and running so we can get a first impression of the 802.11n speed. Our speed results here are preliminary results. In our final review, we'll test using a setup that's more of a real-world example, using a more-controlled network situation.

 

Before we plugged the AirPort Extreme into our Ethernet network, however, we first prayed to the IT gods that we wouldn't bring down the whole company network.

 

We then used a 17-inch MacBook Pro without the 802.11n update installed to get a baseline speed number. We transferred a file to a FTP server in about 30 seconds using 802.11g.

 

We then installed the 802.11n updater (it comes on the AirPort Extreme software CD). We copied the same file (different name) to the FTP server. It took 23 seconds - that's more than a 20 percent speed increase.

 

There's more testing to be done - a lot more testing. We'll have a full review of the AirPort Extreme in the May issue of Mac|Life, which will be released in late March.