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Apple Rolls Out AirPort Express, AirTunes
das writes "Apple has introduced AirPort Express (specs), a palm-sized, portable 802.11g base station with 10/100 ethernet, USB printer sharing, and analog and optical audio output, for connection to a stereo system or powered speakers for streaming your music collection via 'AirTunes.' It supports multiple profiles for easy use at multiple locations It can plug directly into the wall as a "power brick", or use a longer power cord, similar to the newer PowerBook AC adapters. AirTunes requires iTunes 4.6, expected to be available soon."
It's $70 cheaper than the SliMP3. It can replace a base station for many users. Less than the Wireless-G bridge that Linksys sells. Digital outputs for hooking up a stereo! I just ordered mine, hopefully I'll get one of the first ones shipped. I'll probably tell my Mom and brother to get one too-- it's just too damn cool!
How history repeats - the apple personal modem 1200 (other site) plugged into the wall also, and connected your computer to the outside world. Only this time, it's smaller, it's wireless, has audio out, and is 45,000 times faster.
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Personally, I like the AirTunes idea, though the lack of a display or remote is big. For now, I'll stick with the iPod dock connected to my stereo. Not as slick as wireless, but gives me everything I want or need.
Yeah.. that's where you lost me.
A couple of other points you made aren't quite true, i don't think... for instance, arguments like 'has no web interface' and 'only works with Apple software' and 'multi-room synchronization'... those are negated by the fact that it is meant to be used with an iTunes-loaded wireless computer, no?
Also, there are plug-ins for iTunes. And I would call an optical jack a 'proper audio connector' but maybe that's just me.
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No problem. iTunes is fully scriptable via AppleScript on Mac OS X and I believe now via COM on Windows. I bet you can find software to control it as needed, if not, you will shortly.
:-)
Also the updated iTunes hasn't been fully release yet so who knows but it may provide such capabilities between iTunes applications directly.
Now you just need a wireless (11b/g) remote that can connect to iTunes, etc.
If your computer isn't too far away, just use your mobile as the remote and/or display. Bluetooth and Salinger Clicker or Romeo will give you what is effectively a remote with a display.
- It's an 802.11g repeater
- It's a NAT router
- It's a network usb printer server
- It's most likely the only AP that was designed for portability (correct me if I'm wrong)
So sure, if you're buying this thing strictly for music then yeah, you might be buying the wrong, or simply less expensive alternative to squeezebox. But if you want a portable AP/Router that has a nifty added feature of wireless audio support it's a hell of a product.Since it hasn't been mentioned here yet, I would say that one of the 'sleeper' functionalities in the Airport Express is that it can act as a wireless repeater: if that is seamless, this could be a very handy little product indeed.
no headphone output or proper audio connectors
Then what the hell is that audio connector?
AirTunes Express Specs
That supports both standard analog miniplug headphones and the digital optical miniplug. Both are very standard. They might not be the 1/4" connector or the TOSLINK, but that jack is very common, compact and serves your choice of analog or digital.
um this is cheaper than any other Linksys 802.11g router I have seen.... Last I saw they where still 140.
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How is it insecure? it fully supports WPA.
And have you ever tried one of those 25 dollar radio transmitters? They suck. I've never had one make it more than 15 feet in open air without turning the audio quality to snap crackly crap. This provides an all digital link which right away eliminates analog noise.
Actually it does have some compatibility with WMA. Maybe you should read the fine print a little better.
http://www.apple.com/itunes/import.html
While I am sure it isn't exactly what you were looking for...it is fine for me. Your mileage may vary. Apple goodness.
will it be able to stream to multiple locations at once?
Doesn't look like it from the screen shots. It appears to be a drop-down menu, not checkboxes, so I would imagine one at a time.
It looks like you can also use this in a wired fashion, where you connect this device to your wired network, and it will do the audio out as well.
Nope. Check the comparison chart on Apple's site, and you'll see that it doesn't connect to the LAN, just to the Internet.
One thing this is missing is a way to control iTunes remotely.
Just a guess, but I'd say there will be several products announced in July or thereabouts that will allow you to control all of this through the AirTunes network.
=Brian
There is nothing so good that someone, somewhere, will not hate it.
Regarding "open source, plugins or thrid [sic] party". iTunes can play any audio that can be played in QuickTime, and QuickTime supports plug-ins. There is an open-source Ogg Vorbis plug-in, for example.
Regarding "proper audio connectors". True that it only has a mini-jack for analog audio, but it also has a digital audio port, which is certainly "proper" and what you'll want to use if you want high fidelity.
Just for the record, you could also plug headphones into the mini-jack, though I find it somewhat unlikely that people would be interested in plugging there head directly into a power outlet, which is the impression you would get with this device.....
--- What?
Apple's had lots of problems recently with AirPort.
:)
An update a month or two ago completely hosed both the base station and client in terms of speed, signal strength, and reliability. The update was pulled, and a new version was posted a week later.
The new version still had problems. Frequently, users would completely lose signal for 30 seconds to 5 minutes. I specifically had this problem, and looking around the forums, there weren't many who didn't.
Last week, apple posted an update to the client-side driver which seems to have fixed the last of the problems. Even though it's now fixed, apple was really ierresponsible by not just reverting to the old version (they didn't even provide a method to remove the faulty drivers!). I'd expect way more from Apple.
Chances are they waited until all the outstanding bugs were worked out with the current airport stuff before releasing this little gizmo.
I may get one just for the audio features and to act as a bridge in my living room which is logistically impossible to wire.
At $129, it's a friggin' steal. The old AeBS was pretty pricey at $199, and the only things justifying that high price were the USB printserver (which, BTW, doesn't support all printers, especially those which have cardreaders which act as USB hubs), WDS, and the enterprise-grade administration tools. All home users would care about was the print server.
Now, at $129, it's directly in competition with the consumer gear from Linksys, Netgear, and Co. Firstly, apple users always expect to pay a bit on the top for apple-branded gear. The quality you get is usually worth the extra 20% or so -- I've had more Netgear/Linksys power supplies die on me..... Secondly, a decent 802.11g AP WILL cost you a good $80-$90. One with a USB print server will easily cost as much as or more than the Airport Express. An independent wireless USB print server also costs around $100. Only using it as a print server is cost-effective. Finally, the audio feature is unheard of on this kind of multifunction device. You can expect to pay at LEAST $130 for a device which streams audio over the network and does nothing else. Granted, it will usually have some sort of screen and remote, but for the price, it's really not an issue. Oh yeah... did I mention it's tiny? (and very similar to the Power/iBook chargers)
The only feature I would have liked to seen would have been a USB fileserver. Instead of plugging in a printer, plug in a USB Memory Key or Hard drive and serve files off of it. Guess you can't have everything
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Directly from the Apple page... Secure Connection Rest easy -- AirPort Express takes strong measures to prevent unauthorized intrusion into your wireless network. It features a built-in firewall to protect you from gate-crashers from the Internet. It also features password protection and supports powerful encryption technologies including Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and 128-bit WEP encryption.
The SLIMP3 has a two line florescent display and an infrared remote control; the Airport Express has neither. With the Airport Express there's no way to see -- or control -- what music is playing without running from the living room (where the stereo is) back into the study (where the Mac with AirTunes is).
You could use the ATI Remote Wonder RF remote control in the living room to skip forward and backward in the playlists while flying blind, but that's hardly the same as scrolling through them on the SLIMP3's text display.
What's needed now is something that looks and works like an iPod, but is actually an RF remote control for AirTunes...
-Mark, who wants one anyway for travelling
**** UPDATE ****
:-) that iTunes 4.6 can send any music to the base station that it has access to, including from iTunes Music Sharing. However, since it just acts as a remote speaker, it means to do this, you will be streaming twice the amount of data over your network, and you'll need to leave iTunes open on the laptop. Bleah.
I just got word from a "knowledgable source"
So the options now -- since VNC and ARD are not an option, because of ease-of-use and security concerns -- are netTunes (which works now, because -- I didn't realize -- it basically just does a VNC of that one app), and an Apache interface.
Also, the Express CAN share Internet access over the LAN to wired clients.
If the Mac hosting the iTunes library has Bluetooth and your Tungsten does as well.. Or if you have a BT enabled Mac and a BT enabled cell phone..
Salling Clicker v.2.1
Don't you hate it when some people hog the CD-player for hours during your parties? Using your computer as a juke-box (with password-protected screen saver on), this is a problem of the past. Salling Clicker lets you pick the songs while taking care of your guests. Not only can you move between and scan within tracks--Salling Clicker lets you search for tracks by name, artist, composer, and album. When used with a Palm, you even have the option of reviewing upcoming tracks or album artwork on your PDA's display!
It's not a regular analog mini. It's a combo, regular analog mini on the outside, LED at the tip firing "down the middle" of the plug for digital. This has also been done on some Sony MDs. It's sending regular S/PDIF optical though.
-T
In theory it has enough bandwidth but in practical, real world usage 11g doesn't work well for movie streaming. First the movies must be encoded down to a lower bit rate than straight DVD and even then unless you have adequate buffering you may run into hiccups. The real problem though is if you have 11b devices on your g network because that lowers bandwidth for your g devices somewhat.
However the next generation of wireless protocols will have enough raw bandwidth to stream raw DVDs and sound as well (in theory).
Interestingly people seem to be skipping over the fact that this device is a bridge. Many components in the Entertainment center are, or will be shortly, ethernet enabled. Apple has really covered their bases with this product as it has a lot of appeal to very different market segments. I
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The last FM transmitter I used pretty much... sucked. The audio quality was horrible and on the one I had always suffered from interference.
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It is as you describe. These things have been on Sony minidisc recorders for maybe five years now.
It is a REAL optical out, any Circuit City, Best Buy and the like will likely have an optical miniplug to TOSLINK adaptor in stock. It is a black plastic miniplug with an optical pass-through to a socket. I have several that came with TOSLINK cables.
Well that's all nice and well -- but do you already have an Apple base station? If not, expect to spend up big getting your "Wifi extender". According to the specs posted -- "AirPort Extreme and AirPort Express can extend the range only of an AirPort Extreme or AirPort Express wireless network. " -- translation - if you want to use this for wireless iTunes streaming, then you will need to also have purchased an Apple airport in order to NOT to have to run an Ethernet cable to the Airport Express.
Um, no. Read the specs more closely next time.
If you are using AE as a range-extender, then yes, it does require an AEBS. However, it can also act as its own base station/access point/whatever, with the caveat that it only supports up to ten devices (the AEBS supports up to 50).
Of course, from the look of things, you can also buy multiple AE boxes and set up a network using only these.