so, it looks like Apple wasn't pulling anything when they released the Time Capsule. A lot of people on teh IntarWebs seemed to be concerned that the reason Apple didn't include wireless/net backup in Leopard was so they could release Time Capsule.
Instead it simply looks like Apple is selling what is (in my opinion) a fairly affordable backup solution, if you are also looking to upgrade your home router. And since 1TB drives cost (on newegg) about 3-4 times as much as 500GB drives, it is nice that the price differential is not ridiculous. I thought it was $100, but it is actually $200, which... $500 for a wireless n router with built in 1TB drive is fairly decent if you think about it. And if they leave in the ability to attach another hard drive via the USB port, then that is just another plus. You can just keep adding space to it.