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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."
APPLE makes this to work with APPLE products. There is no law that says they have to make it completely open and work with everything. It works on a PC(w/iTunes) as well from what I've read so what's the big deal.
there is none, except someone making it a big deal. It does exatly what it says it does, plays a playlist to your stereo without a line connection to it. Nothing more, Nothing less. For the money this is probably one of the better solutions out there.
"Slashdot, where telling the truth is overrated but lying is insightful."
Right, remember all the drawbacks to the "lame" iPod? Everyone said it was doomed from the start. Please.
People that use iTunes and iPods have long requested a simple way to stream music to stereos no matter where they are.
Those tiny white earbuds become tiny white pains in the ass if used for any period of time, and I like to hear the phone ring while I'm working.
You can bet your tail this device is only the beginning and can probably offer hints to the next iPod revision: wireless and remote-control modes.
Apple finally has a respectful user-base and they'll do anything they can to keep it for as long as possible.
If you're half as beautiful naked, you'd be 4 times as beautiful with twice as many clothes on.
Look at it this way, you have an xbox/ps2 that you want to get online and have also been looking for an easy way to listen to your iTunes music on your stereo. For $129 you get a bridge that will allow you to get your console online and an audio out to pipe into your stereo.
I paid close to $100 for a POS NetGear bridge a while back and it's only a b not g device.
Sounds reasonable. I don't see myself getting one, but that doesn't mean I think it's a watse of money/time and Apple should be slapped for making it.
I get the feeling Apple designed it as a wireless AP that can serve audio or share a USB printer, whichever the users want, rather than as a device for people who have a printer next to their stereo.
There is no sig, there is only Zuul.
Why would I want a hard drive and an interface? I have a big hard drive in my Power Mac, why should I duplicate all of my music on some MP3 network device and my Power Mac? Why would I want to manage music in 2 places? If I rip a new CD why would I want to add it to the MP3 device too?
This device is half the price of what you mention and it acts as a wireless access point as a side benefit of streaming music. This is perfect for most users. The remote could be an issue, but you can control this with any laptop with iTunes and play the music from a desktop in another room on the speakers in your room. You can also use any of the new bluetooth equipped phones to remote control iTunes. I use the Salling Clicker on my T616 to control iTunes all the time. Hopefully apple will make a remote device soon that uses 802.11b and has a small LCD, I'm sure they will before too long, and if they don't I'm sure a few other companies will.
-matt
http://thewonderllama.com
It's an access point for all those hotels with wired connections. Now you can get pr0n on the road in the bed without having an ethernet cord to get in your, um, "escort's" way!
I'm in the hole of the broadband donut.
Keep It Simple Stupid...
The target audience for this product is a Mac user... people are typically drawn to Mac for it's "it just works" image (which has been dilluted lately).
This seems like a very Mac way to get these functions done... via your existing familiar itunes interface you can play songs on your home stereo w/o a wire from your PC to the stereo.
It also eliminates a router for people who don't use wired devices.
With this less-then-a-typical-brick sized device you can put your cable modem and printer in/on a desk, and hook up your stereo too. Then your Mac's around the house can print, share files, connect to the net and play music on the stereo...
Apple definiately did their homework for this one...
Cool gadget...
I've been doing this in more kludgy ways with
wifi laptops hooked up to stereos. This just makes it very nice,easy, and convenient. Always a distinction for Apple stuff.
As for no display or remote, that's kinda moot.
Most people with wifi have a laptop in front of them and can see what's playing.
Imagine,if the next gen iPods are wifi, then it'll be just like having a remote and being able to see/change your songs without wandering into the computer room.
Anyone, see future video coming down the pipe
on one of these from your centralized movie collection on your mac/pc?
Maybe an iTheater app?
I really see this as being a great product for sharing the audio on your laptop and playing it on a friend's stereo. But this device doesn't even come close to what a slimp3 or a Roku Soundbridge can do.
One thing missing from this device is a real optical out. I'm sorry but going analog mini jack -> digi optical doesn't make any sense.
Everyone's fixated on music, but the best thing for us road warriors is it's a mobile access point. I can bring it around and use the hotel's wired access wirelessly from my room. And it's tiny and light, so it won't load me down -or- take up a lot of space in the laptop bag.
If you've never been on the road, you don't know how much of a pain it is to be stuck to the crappy desks most hotels have. Go wireless!
You can also (with a y-cable) attach it to the in-room TV, so you can ditch those annoyingly-heavy travel speakers. Yahoo!
Need to enable wireless in a conference room really quick? Plug in one of these puppies, and bang, you're ready to go. You can even configure the drop in the conference room as not connected to the inside net, allowing instant ad-hoc outside access.
It's also something else: a security nightmare for IT. Imagine the problem IT had with unauthorized modems. Now you can have rogue access points the size of a pack of cards hiding out somewhere in your organization. You'd never find the freaking thing.
What a neato gadget!