“To the dismay of what is sure to be many, Apple Inc. appears to have pulled one of the more compelling features of its Leopard operating system last minute: the ability to use its revolutionary Time Machine backup software with wireless AirPort Disks,” Katie Marsal reports for AppleInsider.
“In the months and weeks leading up to this evening’s launch of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, Apple had widely touted the feature under the tag line ‘Effortless meets wireless,'” Marsal reports.
“AppleInsider was able to confirm the absence of any AirPort Disk support in the version of Time Machine due to go on sale at 6:00 p.m. today as part of Leopard, even though earlier pre-release betas of the software had supported the feature. In addition, all references to wireless backup were also removed from the Time Machine help files included with the distribution,” Marsal reports.
“AirPort Disk backup support is not the only feature to have fallen victim to Apple’s self-imposed October launch deadline for Leopard. Last week AppleInsider noted that the ability to sync Mail notes to iPhone had seemingly also been axed,” Marsal reports. “Obviously, the hope is that Apple continues to refine these features — and others that may have missed the cut –with the intention of releasing them in the coming months as part of a Leopard software update.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Looks like those interested in wireless Time Machine backups, Mail notes syncing to iPhone, etc. will at least have to wait for Mac OS X 10.5.1. On a positive note: Apple released the first update to Mac OS X Tiger (10.4.1) on May 16, 2005, a mere 17 days after Tiger’s April 29th release.
What, the outrage, I’m shocked, can anyone say Class Action!!!!! Let the whining begin…
oops, forgot the ®, just love that ®
Well, this is a bummer. Bought a 1 gig USB drive to back up our two desktops and two laptops over our AEBSn. Hopefully we’ll see this feature soon after Apple gets the (apparent) bugs worked out.
Oops – not 1 gig, 1 tb!!
Can we still back up to a AEBSn if we are connected via ethernet? Can someone clarify.
Yeah, this sucks. This was a major selling point for me because it would’ve made it easy to backup the laptops in the house without having to tether a hard drive to them. But, I’m still getting the OS today anyway and can’t wait.
Now watch the Microsoft apologists compare these little snips to the stuff hacked out of Longhorn to make Vista…
The real bummer (according to other posts on the Web) for me is that they dropped the Star Wars-esque ichat gimmick.
I miss cheesy tricks much more than practical tools.
Apple pulls a Microsoft? You can argue all you want, but I have heard plenty of people whine and complain about how Microsoft had to pull features that were planned for Vista in order to get it to the market. I have heard a ton of Mac fans (such as myself) make fun of Microsoft for having to cut features out of Vista.
Now, Apple has done the same thing. They have sacraficed features (regardless of how big or small) in order to get the software done by it’s deadline.
The only two differences are this…
(1) Apple has done so to hit it’s self imposed deadline, whereas Microsoft did it after well over a years delay just to finally get people off of their back.
(2) Apple will add these features back as soon as they are finished with Software Updates. Microsoft just holds onto the features for the next version of Windows.
Those two items right there, are two VERY GOOD reasons that Apple is better than windows.
Still it sucks that apple couldn’t get all the features it was touting into the initial release of the software and that it had to cut them out because they weren’t ready.
But, unlike Microcrap, Apple doesn’t supply software that doesn’t work to the best of it’s potential.
Wow–no wireless time machine really is a bummer. I was excited about that one. Of course, I’m still looking forward to Leopard’s many other great features. Apple brought back a couple of key ones that had been “dropped” since the original announcement (e.g., screen sharing through iChat), so I’m sure these will be back as well once they’ve been fine tuned.
Whats the matter, MDN? Your Spin-o-Matic not working this morning?
Woooooo hooooooo Steve! Dropped features? Whatever Steve says! Still want to suck those hairy toes, Stevie!
Well, I for one would feel better if Apple would say that they will have the feature in an update. They have not said anything.
I DID buy the Airport Express for the purpose of backing up our two laptops to it. I would be dissapointed if it doesn’t work within a few months.
Would be better for Apple to make an announcement, rather than leaving people hanging.
It’s better to not have it and get it later when it works, then to have it and not have it work.
I think the deal is that you cannot back up to a wirelessly networked drive.
I wonder if you can have a drive connected to a desktop mac and use time machine for backing up that machine and any other drives that are networked wirelessly or by ethernet.
A subtle difference but may work.
http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=4387985&postcount=50
There’s a fix to allow this to work.
What a bunch of whiners. It clearly stated on Apple’s Leopard preview page that final release was subject to change. Come on MDN, let the whiners have it.
Also: whine, whine, whine, I really want this feature and have been looking forward to it since I bought my Airport extreme with airdisk.
That´s one of the secret features!
C´mon folks, Leopard is just a new, updated version of the old version. Evolution. Wait a bit and another cat-named update will appear.
In the meantime enjoy and be glad you aren´t tied to Microsloft.
My life is over. I shall now commit suicice. Wireless backup was the answer to all of my dreams.
They are waiting for the Apple AirDisk to finish development… duh.
AirDisk: Apple’s wireless Hard Drive based backup device.
Will also support Firewire, Firewire 800, usb 2.0, and possibly eSATA.
I’m glad technology has made people so lazy as to not want to walk downstairs and plug a laptop into a external harddrive and hit the “time machine” button. Lazy asses.
There are issues with wireless backups using the AEBS that doesn’t involve TimeMachine. I sent a ticket to Chronosync because if I left my network (to go to work) and came back, the backups wouldn’t find my usb disks. According to the chaps at chronosync “when a configuration change is made in the base station, it starts reporting a new creation date for the volume that it is serving. This appears to be the date that the configuration change is made rather than the actual creation date of the
volume.Hence CS can’t recognize it as the same volume anymore.
Boy the trolls are out today. Go play with Vista, kiddies.
A future version will workaround this problem. Or maybe Apple will fix it.
So it seems Apple has yet to fix.
Just keep it stable!
But I was going to backup all my macs through airport.
I hooked up a drive to the new AEBS and it’s pretty slow if you ask me b/c of the USB.
Get a NAS, the Dlink DNS-323 is a good buy from newegg
PS: the drive is a 250Gb WD SATA2 in a OWC quad interface enclosure. the AEBS is in N only 5ghz and takes 7-10x over what attached FW800 does. USB direct attached is not much faster than the AEBS
Ok..*smashing the mace of truth and reason into the head of Shoeman, and wiping Realist’s guts off the floor*..as the Thing would say, “It’s clobbering time!”
All project managers drop features to meet dates. It’s not a Steve-specific thing, Shoeman. You can tell us (endlessly) how many Macs you own, but that doesn’t atone for your ignorance of the software development lifecycle. Go and learn.
This is a tiny deal, but yet you’ll see lots of posts whining about it. Why? Trolls whine. It’s what they do. Stop crying wolf. No-one cares. Apple made a decision that this doesn’t affect most users and they’re right.
there are major problems with airdisks not mounting correctly or not at all… with only one option… reset and reconfigure the basestation again and again…
the airport express base station hard- and/or software is having the problem that’s still not solved…
not leopard.
for more info on this, go see the discussion forums at apple.com
apple still hasn’t acknowledged the problem, although the phone support people know this problem very well and for a long time…
i have this problem right here on my network – still not solved!
While not a sexy selling feature, for multiple Mac users in one office or home, this was a huge deal. To purchase a 1 Terrabyte drive, and an Airport Base Station to have everyone seamlessly back-up too, was huge.
Now gone! Doah!!!
Start firing emails to Apple in getting this included in an update ASAP!
As ususal, you’re the idiot. You haven’t even figured out “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”.
last post @BustingTheSkullsOfIdiots
Damn iPhone
@LickingTheNutsOfMorons,
Kid, I’ve owned more Apple computers then you’ll ever use or own in your miserable lifetime. I know things about technology that you couldn’t even imagine.
So shut your liberal, tree hugging, free loving, whining pie hole, punk!
I’m a little disappointed. I was waiting for this to justify a new Airport and a big-ass hard drive to serve the several Powerbooks in our household.
Guess I’ll get the drive anyway and use it direct-connected until they sort this one out. It just won’t be as seamless as Time Machine is supposed to be…
Is this an issue with the Airport Extreme Basestation only? If I have network storage, can I backup to it?
You don’t know the history of technology. I do.
@btsoi
@shoesaleman
Funny to see the two troglodytes accusing each other of being liberal. Go back to your circle jerk at freeperland a33holes.
This plain sucks. My sister just bought an Extreme over an Express for this very feature after I convinced her of its revolutionary worth. Now I’m going to have to tell her the main promised feature has been reneged on. I *was* going to buy one for this feature as well, but won’t be doing so now.
FedEx brought the disc 1130 Central and the upgrade went fine. The whole thing is much better- even the sluggard MDN website loads faster on 10.5.
Time Machine is off and will remain off. What good is a secure erase if one can restore it via Time Machine.
FedEx brought the disc 1130 Central and the upgrade went fine. The whole thing is much better- even the sluggard MDN website loads faster on 10.5.
Time Machine is off and will remain off. What good is a secure erase if one can restore it via Time Machine.
FedEx brought the disc 1130 Central and the upgrade went fine. The whole thing is much better- even the sluggard MDN website loads faster on 10.5.
Time Machine is off and will remain off. What good is a secure erase if one can restore it via Time Machine.
FedEx brought the disc 1130 Central and the upgrade went fine. The whole thing is much better- even the sluggard MDN website loads faster on 10.5.
Time Machine is off and will remain off. What good is a secure erase if one can restore it via Time Machine.
FedEx brought the disc 1130 Central and the upgrade went fine. The whole thing is much better- even the sluggard MDN website loads faster on 10.5.
Time Machine is off and will remain off. What good is a secure erase if one can restore it via Time Machine.
Of course, now if they add the feature, they will have to charge for it like they had to charge for activate 803.llN wireless. Or am I misunderstanding this accounting issue.
What! I have to use a cable to back up my drive! Why, the insolence of the Apple folks, not giving me wireless back up after they said that it would be a feature! I mean, geez, i have to use a cable, at a faster spee, no less!. DAMN THEM! DAMN THEM ALL TO HELL! oops… forgot that they didn’t say it would be in the initial release, but still! this is going to ruin my day! i have to use a cable! CRAP! A CABLE! Are they in the 21st century, or what? Pretty soon, they’ll want me to use my FINGERS for typing! What will be next? A button to turn my compuer on? Insolents! I say we fire Steve Jobs and hire Michael Dull! HE’LL give the company to US! NOT!
@Thomas
I think you’re right. Can’t add totally new functionality without charging for it…
Although, for iPhone you can, so note syncing is definitely on the way.
As for network backup… If they do it through the USB on the ATV that’s cool. But I’m not sure they can add the functionality to Leopard.
I can backup on any shared folder of my Synology NAS…..
Can’t you just share the drive on the Airport?
I’m definitely still getting my Leopard, but i was really looking forward to using Time Machine with my wireless NAS.
Hope it’ll make a comeback in 10.5.1.
This was an important feature for me — I haven’t decided whether to upgrade to Leopard or not just yet. I will eventually. But I also didn’t run out and buy an Extreme and a terrabyte drive, either. I’ll hold off on those too. When the dust settles, I’ll go for whatever wireless backup option makes sense. For those who are mocking, if you have several macs in the house it is a hassle to string wires or move computers around to do backups. What happens is, the backups don’t get done. I may be scrupulous in doing backups but not everyone in the house is. Life’s short, I’m a busy guy, it ought to be easy. Is it something worth whining about? Not really. Who cares. I am just adding this as a data point, I hope that the matter is resolved in a future update.
Apple has to garantee the best functionalities for its complete product line. The pulling back of some features must have some pretty good reasons, to my opinion.
– Security flaw ?
– Unshure file tranfers with possible data loss ?
I would rather bet for this sort of strategic pull back.
I have a new intel mac and they are no better than a PC. The old macs were much better and user friendly. The support line sucks half the people are clueless, I figure out the solution to problems before they do. Jobs changed to the intel just so his iphone and ipods are more compatible with PC’s. It was a brilliant marketing move but the mac fanatics still claim the old lines of how user friendly it is. It’ not bad it’s just the same as a PC.