Apple spokesperson Lynn Fox has confirmed to News.com that Apple will be charging an upgrade fee in the amount of $1.99 for Core 2 Duo iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro, and Mac Pro users who have 802.11n capable chipsets. Users who purchase an Airport Extreme base station will not have to pay for the upgrade.
An Apple service document obtained by MacRumors had previously indicated that the fee would be $4.99, however Apple may have decided to cut the cost in reaction to strong negative reaction to the fee.
Apple said it is required under generally accepted accounting principles to charge customers for the software upgrade. "The nominal distribution fee for the 802.11n software is required in order for Apple to comply with generally accepted accounting principles for revenue recognition, which generally require that we charge for significant feature enhancements, such as 802.11n, when added to previously purchased products," Fox said in a statement.
The explanation for the fee is reminiscent of an explanation previously given to iLounge. However, the explanation does not fit well with many of Apple's previous practices. For example, in May Apple updated iWeb to version 1.1 which added a host of commonly-requested features at no charge.
Thursday November 5, 2026 12:59 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is releasing five new products this Friday, November 6, following pre-orders that opened last week, including its first touchscreen MacBook Pro models.
The following new products will be available from tomorrow:
iPad mini with OLED display and A20 Pro chip
iMac with M6 chip
14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 chip
14-inch MacBook Pro with OLED touchscreen
16-inch MacBook Pro with OLED...
Tuesday November 3, 2026 7:34 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today announced that its Festival Place store in Basingstoke, England will be permanently closing on Saturday, November 21.
Apple Festival Place
Apple had already announced that the store would be closing in November, but it had not provided the public with a specific date until now.
Apple's store inside the Festival Place shopping center opened in 2011, so it had a 15-year run....
YouTuber Marques Brownlee has switched back to the iPhone 18 Pro after spending more than two weeks with the iPhone Duo. On the latest episode of the "Waveform" podcast, Brownlee said he missed the Pro's cameras and Face ID. He added that he would miss opening the iPhone Duo, using it in portrait, and reading on the larger screen.
Despite strong initial demand for Apple's first foldable...
