Product Reviews

Apple's Time Capsule was developed to solve a specific problem: that of using Time Machine to back up the MacBook Air. This svelte laptop only has one external interface and was designed to be used over a wireless network. Before Time Capsule, the only way any Mac could use Time Machine was with a local hard drive.

That alone made the backup device worth considering for MacBook Air owners, and the fact that it also doubled as an AirPort Extreme router and network drive was an additional incentive. Now, however, Nas devices from LaCie and Buffalo have support for Time Machine, so Apple needed to make the Time Capsule more attractive. To that end it has added one significant additional feature: the ability to

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set up a second wireless network alongside your main network, which provides access to the Internet, but not to other devices on the network. And it means you don't have to give your login name and password to guests.

This is useful for offices and environments where there are a large number of transient laptop owners, and is more secure than allowing them access to your main network. At home, where visitors with laptops are likely to be family or friends, it's less useful.

The only other new feature is the ability to access files on the hard drive over the Internet using Back to My Mac. However, there's a firmware update for the first generation Time Capsule, which enables that feature on it.

That makes the decision of whether to buy one tricky for home users. In terms of ease of use, it's unrivalled if you have one or more Macs on a network. And if you own a MacBook Air, it's the simplest way to back up using Time Machine. However, it's significantly more expensive than a Nas of the same capacity, and the 1TB version, particularly as the price has increased, is difficult to justify in any circumstances.

We loved using it. As with most Apple accessories, it works seamlessly and looks great. If you need a new router as well as network storage, it's a great solution.