Apple Delivers First Wireless Networking Solution for AOL Users

CUPERTINO, California—November 13, 2001—Apple® today announced that AirPort, the first affordable and easy-to-use wireless networking solution for home, school and office, now provides another industry first—wireless local area network access to America Online (AOL), the world’s leading interactive services company.

“The tremendous success of AirPort over the last two years has made Apple the leader in wireless networking,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “We’ve worked together with America Online to offer the first wireless local area networking solution for AOL and Mac users.”

“The combination of AirPort and AOL is ideal for Mac users who want to access the AOL service via a wireless LAN,” said Jeffrey Kimball, America Online’s executive director of Brand Products. “Both AOL and Apple will continue to make the Internet more convenient and easily accessible for consumers.”

AirPort® is compatible with the latest version of AOL for the Macintosh® which has been recently updated and is available for free as an online download at AOL Keyword: Upgrade. Additionally, AirPort will be compatible with AOL for Mac® OS X, which is currently in beta testing and expected to launch later this year. Revamped for Apple’s new operating system, AOL for Mac OS X will deliver enhancements to core existing features designed to bring the best of the AOL service to members choosing to upgrade to the Mac OS X platform.

AirPort 2.0 software, available for free as an online download from Apple’s web site (www.apple.com) in both native Mac OS X and Mac OS 9 versions, adds AOL support to existing AirPort Base Stations. AirPort 2.0 software is compatible with AOL 5.0, U.S. only.

Based on the industry standard IEEE 802.11b, AirPort offers a data rate of up to 11 megabits per second, enables sharing of a single network connection, and has a typical range of 150-foot radius from the base station. All Apple notebooks and desktops are AirPort-ready with integrated antennas and card slot, some with the AirPort card preinstalled.

AirPort consists of the AirPort Base Station, with a suggested retail price of $299(US), and the AirPort Card, with a suggested retail price of $99(US).