For over a decade, Apple has used the term “AirPort” to refer to the Wi-Fi connectivity in Macs. With OS X Lion, however, that may be about to change. The latest developer preview of Lion shows former references to “AirPort” being changed to simply “Wi-Fi”.
The change is an interesting one, and I am not certain why Apple would be focused on making this change. One possibility is that users sometimes become confused when looking for wireless networks, but I have not, having worked with many clients, ever found someone to become confused over the matter.
One interesting possible connection one might draw could be to the rumored impending refresh of AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule units – it’s possible that they may be rebranded in some manner to reflect “the death of AirPort.”
Whatever the case, I’m a bit sad that Apple may have done away with the AirPort brand – I thought it was a clever term that people understood, and brought one further level of uniqueness to the Mac.
What are your thoughts? Sound off in the comments!
