Time Capsule is part of Apple’s new “cable-free 2008” strategy, now referred to in some circles on the grapevine as “Air Steve/Air Jobs 2008” (a reference to Nike’s overpriced “Air Jordan” shoes) strategy, or just the “Air strategy/”Air initiative”…..regardless of how it will end up being most popularly referred to, it’s straightforward enough on the surface; eliminate cables, consolidate them or replace them with wireless alternatives.

But the implications for the entire iDevice and Macintosh families go way beyond that. And the Time Capsule is just the first of many new wireless devices Apple has planned for 2008. Many will be intended to provide solutions for things like the Macbook Air’s “missing” optical drive and other ports/features, as well as similar issues arising from future “Air strategy” elements such as a low-cost “Mac Air” with similarly minimalist enclosure & ports.

As for the Time Capsule itself, it is a relatively straightforward 802.11n-equipped 3.5-inch hard drive enclosure; all the details are of course available from http://www.apple.com/timecapsule/, including the two models available with 500GB or 1TB (Terabyte) of Serial ATA “server grade” hard disk storage respectively at $299 and $499.

Although those may seem like high prices to pay for hard drive enclosures that, minus the wifi, might not rate more than 1/2 or 1/3 of that cost, the Time Capsule is also a full-featured Airport Extreme Base Station!

So, in fact, the time capsule is much more than just a wireless storage device; it is a new model of the Airport Base Station with an onboard hard drive and Time Machine integration. When viewed like that, the value equation turns on its head and the remarkable deal that the Time Capsule represents becomes more apparent.

We will be seeking to acquire one of these ourselves, in our quest to provide hands-on experience with every Apple product so you can make the most educated buying decisions possible…..along with one of the new Mac Pros and probably, in due time, a Macbook Air as well for one of our new staff members to review for us.

If you’d like to donate hardware for review, a very favorable deal is available in the form of an advertising barter along with a prominent plug in every article which references the review as well as the review(s) themselves…..please contact our new advertising director (advertising.director@macosrumors.com if you are interested in reaching an arrangement. For the time being, this is the only type of direct advertising we are accepting. In the near future, we plan to once again accept all types of direct sponsorship; for now, we are limited to review hardware barter agreements and donations which can be made via PayPal (rumors@macosrumors.com) to support our efforts on the site and our very sick founder, chronically ill and in severe pain, who continues to make this site possible through his editing and technical work even when his hands are too inflamed to type and he hasn’t been able to keep food down for days on end. Even if you may not have the need for ad space or a plug for your web site/business, you may want to consider making a simple donation to encourage more improvements, more updates and to thank our founder for his continued hard work even when it involves soldiering through agonies that we can only imagine and pray that we never experience first-hand.

Thanks to all who have supported Rumors through thick and thin! We couldn’t be more excited about the future, and the Time Capsule is just a small example of why 2008 is going to be the best year yet for us and the Mac community at large.