Slashdot Mirror
Ars Reviews AirPort Express
ack154 writes "Ars Technica has a nice, comprehensive review of the new AirPort Express from Apple. There is a breakdown of each of the main features: music streaming, a mobile base station, a base station extender, and networking a printer. All features were tested from both Mac and Windows perspectives. Overall it got an 8/10 with points mainly lost for no means of remote control and no audio cable included in the package."
... Airport is not legal in some European countries, as it operates on military frequencies...
Since the Airport Express can connect to stereo systems.
goates
Now, I haven't read the article yet, so I dont know the context, but isn't a computer running iTunes supposed to be the remote control?
It's marketed as a digital life device to allow iTunes to stream over the home stereo (source of criticism). However, it depends on what it's being plugged into...most stereos take RCA. 3.5mm line in is not typically. Apple sells a kit for 39 bucks for those not already equipped.
Of course, I have the RCA -> 3.5mm male bit for hooking my iBook into the stereo plus a 3.5mm headphone extension so i have a 6' or so radius to put the iBook in a safe and accessible location.
It's not in the article, but in the WWDC Jobs mentioned that, "It's encrypted, so the labels will like it". I don't know how it is encrypted(whether it uses WEP or a proprietary encryption algorithm), so they will have to do a lot of toying arond to come up with a compatible product.
people get confused about that?
like shoving two floppies into one drive?
Also, to my dismay, the Express did not include any audio cables for hooking it up to a stereo. ... The AirPort Express Stereo Connection Kit with Monster Cables and an AC power cord is available separately from Apple for US$39.
They offer it separately, and I think that's the point. The idea is to stream music wirelessly, and many people are going to buy it for that reason. If Apple adds the Connection Kit to the AirPort Express, the overall price goes up some, for an item I would guess most people do not need/want. If you absolutely have to have a wired connection, then hey, they have that accessory available as a separate product.
CT
After the welcome screen, the Assistant inquired politely as to whether I wished to set up my Express to create a new wireless network, or connect to my current wireless network.
It's a nice bit of Journalism, which makes for a good read, but I couldn't help thinking it would next inquire politely ... "Would you like some coffee while you wait for the set up to finish"?
CT
Walt Mossberg reviewed it in today's Wall Street Journal, as well. You can find the article here. He mostly likes it, but wants to be able to play through multple outputs (either two Airport Expresses or an Airport Express and the local speakers). Also, the lack of remote control and display was a huge downside for him.
You just come along with me and have a good time. The Galaxy's a fun place. You'll need to have this fish in your ear.
The airport express as shipped will need a 1/8" (3.5mm) to dual RCA or mini-Toslink optical cable to hook up to an audio device. Out of the box it can not do so. While radio shack has the cables necessary, it doesn't have the power cord which replaces the flip out plug in (ala iPod and power book adapters). I've had my AX up and running since last friday and finally got the connector kit yesterday.
I wish iTunes could let one stream audio to the Express and play music on the host simultaneously. I was surprised to learn that it can't do both.
It's probably not as easy as it sounds. I imagine that automatically getting exact synchronization with different levels of network activity could be tricky. And if they were a bit off, it would sound pretty weird.
Does anyone have any idea if it would be possible to route the audio from the WiFi-interface to the USB port?
Apple emphasizes in its documentation that the USB port is for printers only.
That's like dodging points for a graphics card w/o a speaker.
:P
Actually, it's not like that at all. See, one of the "big deals" of this product is that you can play your computer audio files on your stereo with little fuss. Not just your computer, but any computer on your network that has itunes installed.
Not including an audio cable is stupid, in my book, because one of the biggest selling points of the product is NOT FUNCTIONAL without additional equipment. Sure, it's a cheap cable (3-5 bucks most places), but I imagine there are a number of people who don't have these handy. And if Apple bought these in bulk (which they obviously would), it would probably cost them 25 cents at the most to include this cable in the box.
For me, playing mp3's or aac on my stereo isnt such a big deal, beacuse I've been doing it for years with a 25 foot audio cable going direct from my comp to my stereo. But for many, their stereos aren't so close to their computers. This product is a cool idea, but like I said, the (probaby) biggest selling point isnt functional without additional equipment. That's just lame.
Joseph?
It seems to me a lot of people are criticizing this device just because it doesn't do everything. 'No remote? No display on it? Doesn't work with [insert Linux technology here]? That's no good.'
Well, this is Apple's first iteration of a new technology, and it'll take some time to develop. Apple will probably open some parts of this technology to 3rd party developers, and let them come up with things to do with it. I'd expect Apple has plans to do something neat to tie in this wireless-music-broadcast idea to an upcoming generation of the iPod. (broadcasting to your stereo from the iPod in your pocket might be kind of neat, right?)
...Or, you could look at it the other way, in that this isn't a new technology, but Apple added a really neat feature to a product that didn't need it at all. I think this would be a pretty neat little wireless access point on it's own, but add in the print-server and music streaming, and that's a pretty impressive piece of technology in a nice little package. No, it doesn't do everything... but not everyone needs everything. And how are you going to make a product that does everything?
Apple tends to like to start small, introduce a product that only does what it does, but does it well, and without much hassle. Then they start evolving it, over years, by adding features individually, making sure that feature works right, and then looking at new features. The alternative would be to try to pack in as many features as possible, all at once, then spending years making all the features work right.
I suspect the first generation of these will find a limited audience whose specific needs are met by the first generation. The second generation will do more, and therefore find a bigger audience, and so on.
I also suspect that, no matter how much it does, there will people who will complain that it doesn't do things that it just wasn't designed to do. Are you going to complain that the iPod doesn't play CDs, or that your refridgerator doesn't have a built-in stove?
And an interesting quote from Mossberg:
Any bets? You could do a wi-fi remote (with LCD to see what's playing), but I'm hoping they'll use that USB port for something... like a video out.
"Sometimes a woman is a kind of religion, she can save your soul & set you free from all your sins" - Bad Examples