What might have seemed like a petty issue to Apple is garnering worldwide attention this week. The Mac-maker is reportedly planning to charge consumers $5 to unlock the next-generation of Wi-Fi technology that comes preinstalled on the latest Intel-based laptops.
An industry report citing Apple’s plans to profit from software that will unlock the preinstalled 802.11n technology is stirring up plenty of negative feedback from consumers around the globe.
The 802.11n installer is being bundled with new Airport Extreme base stations that retail for $179, but consumers who purchased Intel-based Macs before Apple officially announced the new AirPort Extreme last week will have to purchase the patch.
“It’s only worth the money if you need to use the wireless technology,” said Stephen Baker, an analyst at NPD Group. “It is relatively unusual for a company to charge to unlock technology that it installed on a computer. Usually companies will just make a firmware upgrade available for free.”
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