| Developer | Apple Inc. |
|---|---|
| Release date | October 12, 2005 |
| Introductory price | US$49 |
| Discontinued | September, 2009 |
| Website | [1] |
The Apple USB Modem was a combined 56 kbit/s data modem and 14.4 kbit/s fax external USB modem introduced by Apple Inc. after the internal 56k modem was dropped on the October 12, 2005 iMac G5 revision.
Contents |
Apple introduced its first true modems in 1984, the Apple Modem 300 & 1200 modems (V21/V22). Prior to that they offered a third party Apple-badged comparatively low-tech acoustic coupler. Those were followed by the industry standard 2400/data and combined 9600/fax (V29) Apple Fax Modem in 1987. Apple introduced the internal 2400 data/fax modem card for its Macintosh Portable in 1989 as well as released its last external desktop Apple Data Modem 2400. Only standard internal modems were offered during the 1990s through 2005, with the notable exception of Apple's foray into GeoPort passive telephony modems which relied heavily upon the computer's software and processing power rather than dedicated hardware (like Apple's proprietary internal Express Modem). The Apple USB Modem is Apple's first true external modem since the Apple Data Modem 2400 was discontinued in 1992.
As of September, 2009 it is no longer available in the US Apple Store but it still works (at least for fax) as of Mac OS X version 10.6.2. It appears that only a 32 bit driver exists and therefore the modem will not operate in operating systems operating in 64 bit mode. This means that the USB modem does not work in Mac OS X Lion, 10.7 (per telephone call to Apple Care, July 22, 2011).
The Apple USB Modem supports V.92, Caller ID, wake-on-ring, telephone answering (V.253), and modem on hold. The modem is manufactured by Motorola. A device driver for the modem was introduced with Mac OS X version 10.4.3.
It retailed for US$49 at the time of its introduction.
Apart from using the Apple USB Modem for Internet dial-up and faxing, it is also being suggested as a low cost line interface (aka FXO interface) for telephony applications, such as for telephone systems (software PBX) and answering machine software.
The decision to drop the built-in dial-up modem is reminiscent of Apple's decision to drop built-in floppy drives. With the rise of broadband Internet and the general availability of wireless networking, it is likely that Apple felt that it was of more use for people to have default wireless instead of default dial-up.
The highly-miniaturized product, about the size of a cigarette lighter and with a 4.6-inch long USB cable, won a RED DOT design award for good design.[1]
According to the Apple discussion boards, the magnetism of the MagSafe connector affects the USB external modem. Placing the modem away from the MagSafe socket on the farthest USB connector will keep your connection from dropping frequently.
If the internal modem is not answering rings, verify that you do not have "Wake when the modem detects a ring" option checked if the Sleep option is set to "Never". (System Preferences - Energy Saver).
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||