A warning posted by Apple that older AirPort base stations may cause networking issues with the newly-released MacBook Air has been dropped from Apple’s Web site. The Knowledge Base article had been posted alongside three other MacBook Air-related notes that remain available.
Earlier, Apple’s Web site warned that older bases stations using a draft specification of the 802.11n wireless networking standard may implement what the company called a “wide” channel in the 2.4GHz range that could interfere with the MacBook Air, which conforms to more recent draft specifications. Apple recommended changing older base stations to use the 5GHz channels or to upgrade the base station to a newer model.
However, on Wednesday afternoon, that article, number 307288, disappeared from Apple’s Web site. The company says it will repost an updated note. Macworld will have an updated story when that note appears.
As for other potential problems, Apple warned of jumpy or jerky video when using the MacBook Air’s built-in camera. This problem affects the MacBook Air, QuickTime Player Pro and iMovie and can easily be fixed by installing QuickTime 7.4.
Be aware that QuickTime 7.4 has been isolated as the cause of problems with Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro.
If you are using your MacBook Air for prolonged periods of time and find the computer becoming sluggish, the MacBook Air may be attempting to protect itself from overheating by shutting down one core of the CPU.
Apple said that in extreme conditions, the MacBook Air may also reduce the clock rate of the remaining core. The company’s recommendation is to move the computer to a cooler area or use a notebook cooling pad to dissipate the heat.
The last issue outlined by Apple is one that many iPhone owners have dealt with — the headphone jack. Some 3.5mm headphone jacks do not fit securely in the MacBook Air’s port resulting in poor audio quality. To fix this, you need an adapter to extend the port.
Updated at 4:50 p.m. PT to note the removal of the AirPort article from Apple’s Web site.