I'm going to grant that firmware updates aren't quite as intimidating as being 10 years old and going to the dentist, but they're almost there.

You know this is supposed to be helpful, but part of you still can't help but worry. That and no one ever gave you a lollipop at the end for enduring a new firmware version on your computer.

On Friday, Apple released version 7.1.1 of its firmware for the 802.11n-based AirPort Extreme Base Station. The new version, a 4.6 megabyte download, offers the following fixes and changes:
- Printers and Routers, VPN, PPPoE, WDS(ACL), WEP(TSN)
- Localized file naming, port mapping, IPv6, and NAS
- Improved stability with keychain passwords
- Improved support for third party applications saving files to a USB disk
- Improved support for AirPort USB disk stability and power saving, disk read/write performance, disk file sharing and passwords
- Addressed an issue where Base Station would not request a password when expected

For more information, click here.

The software is also available through Mac OS X's Software Update feature. Users will need to have AirPort Utility 5.1 for Mac or Windows installed for it to run.

If you've tried the new firmware and have either positive or negative comments about it, let us know.