Apple 's AirDrop Using Wi-Fi Direct - Which Macs Supports Wi-Fi Direct?

Most popular Wi-Fi chipsets—including some that Apple has used for years—support Wi-Fi Direct. But even though Apple and Microsoft sit on the board of the Wi-Fi Alliance, which developed the underlying technical standards and certification regime, support in operating systems has been lacking. You can’t find it in Windows 7 or Lion, nor in any mobile operating system. For AirDrop, Apple is using just a subset of Wi-Fi Direct’s features; strictly speaking, AirDrop isn’t actually compatible with the standard.

Apple began to include compatible Wi-Fi chips in some of its Macs three years ago; but as recently as a year ago, some Mac models still didn’t have them. Unless your Mac has the correct Atheros or Broadcom chip, you can’t use AirDrop. Apple’s AirDrop troubleshooting page lists the Macs that support the technology:

• MacBook Pro (Late 2008 or newer, but not 17-inch Late 2008)
• MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer)
• MacBook (Late 2008 or newer, but not white MacBook Late 2008)
• iMac (Early 2009 or newer)
• Mac Mini (Mid 2010 or newer)
• Mac Pro (Early 2009 with AirPort Extreme card, or Mid 2010)