AirPort Base Station (Graphite)

1999 · iMac era Wi-Fi

Introduced

1999

Original price

$ 299

Original OS

Colors

Graphite

1976

1984

1998

2001

2007

2020

2026

Pre-Mac

Mac era

iMac era

iPod era

iPhone era

Silicon

Connectivity

EthernetOne 10Base-T Ethernet port

Wi-Fi802.11b, up to 150 ft (50 m) in typical use (varies with building construction); recommended for up to 10 users

ModemBuilt-in 56K V.90 modem

Software

Original OS-

Included peripheralsBase unit, external power supply, telephone cord, wall mount bracket, and complete software

Identifiers

Model N°M5757

EMC1838

Lifecycle

Introduced1999

History

In 1999, Apple launched its new Airport wireless networking technology alongside the new iBooks, developed in cooperation with Lucent Technologies. It was a wireless LAN network with speeds up to 11 Mbps (faster than a 10 Base-T ethernet card). The Base Station was essentially an ethernet hub and a modem router for sharing the internet connection among Macs on the Airport wireless network.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AirPort · Wikipedia

Trivia

• In 1999 Apple launched AirPort, a wireless technology developed in collaboration with Lucent Technologies that reached 11 Mbps, even surpassing the speed of traditional ethernet. • The AirPort Base Station functioned simultaneously as an ethernet hub and modem router, allowing multiple Mac computers to share a single Internet connection wirelessly. • AirPort was introduced alongside the new iBook, representing an innovative wireless networking system that revolutionized the way Apple computers could communicate with each other.

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D077 · APPLE HERITAGE MUSEUM · LUGANO

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