Apple boosts Time Capsule capacity to 2TB

Apple has doubled the capacity of its Time Capsule storage device

Mac support for the corporate sphere took a step forward today with the launch of an updated Time Capsule backup device from Apple, and a new Exchange-like email server solution from Mac service centre AA Mac.

The new Time Capsule, available now for £379 from the Apple Store, doubles the capacity of the previous version at a whopping 2TB, but retains the trademark sleek white finish.

This networked hard drive, which works with the Time Machine backup facility in Mac OS X Leopard, also doubles as a fully featured 802.11n Wi-Fi base station with simultaneous dual-band support at 2.4GHz and 5GHz, the firm said.

Apple has also dropped the price of its 1TB Time Capsule to £229, again available now from the Apple Store.

On the email side, Apple Mac care firm AA Mac announced a new leased email server solution designed to provide companies running Macs with an affordable Exchange-like email service.

AA Mac's leased version includes Kerio MailServer, an iMac and technical support services. The MailServer product runs on Red Hat Linux, SUSE Linux, OpenSUSE, CentOS and Mac OS X, Apple claimed that it is easy to deploy and can be managed remotely.

MailServer can be synchronised with smartphone devices such as the iPhone to provide mobile email, and offers two different web-based email clients, one with the look and feel of Microsoft Entourage and the other optimised for viewing on PDAs.

"Our clients are predominantly in the creative industries like design, music, film production, publishing, PR, advertising and other marketing services," said AA Mac marketing director Kerrie Lee.

"As a result, it is crucial that they have reliable access to their mail, contacts and calendars. Organisation really is as important to all of those industries as imagination; you could say it's the stomach on which the creative army marches."

The leased solution starts with a minimum of 10 licences, an iMac with technical support and Kerio MailServer installed for £99 per month for 36 months, said AA Mac.