Apple readying 'Unwired Airport Express Bundle' for Aussies

[AppleInsider]

Apple Australia next month is expected to introduce a new AirPort Express bundle that may wed the company's portable Wi-Fi router with a local wireless data service.

A placeholder on the Apple Australia online store lists an "Unwired Airport Express Bundle" for $168 that's due to begin shipping sometime in the next two to three weeks. The listing, which isn't visible on the company's other online stores, includes a photo of a generic parcel package, suggesting the contents may not be entirely Apple's.

One possibility suggested by Australian Mac users is that Apple has agreed to resell service or modems from local over-the-air Internet provider Unwired alongside its most compact WiFi router. The Sydney-based firm is in the process of building a nationwide, fixed wireless telecommunications network offering carrier grade Internet services.

The service, currently available in Sydney and Melbourne, make use of a wireless network using base towers that broadcast a radio wave signal, offering speeds between 256K to 1Mbps without the need for a phone or data line. Monthly service plans range from $20 to $100 depending on bandwidth allowance and speeds.

"Travel anywhere within our coverage area and have the convenience of instant internet access at no extra cost," reads a description of the service on Unwired's website. "Take your modem from home to work, or take your work to the beach. Bring your internet connection to Uni, School, the library, or even browse through your favourite websites at your local café."



Word of the bundle surfaced a couple of weeks after one a member of the whirlpool forums suggested Australian Mac users not purchase any of the company's existing AirPort express products because he'd learned through his employer that "there will be new Airport Extreme and Airport Express within the next few weeks."

It's unclear if the two rumors are related.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[Cavallo]

Umm... no firewire = no sale?

[retroneo]

Unwired is slow and unreliable. In Australia, 3G is faster (Telstra's now up to 21Mbit/s HSPA), and offers way more coverage than the patchy inner metro coverage Unwired offers. (Telstra covers 99% of the population and Optus will cover 98% by the end of the year)

Unwired uses 3.5GHz which has poor coverage characteristics which contribute to the problem. Look at whirlpool for the mountain of complaints.....

It's odd that Apple would be partnering with them...

[SteveMinne]

Apple USA has run out of Airport Extremes online and with their distributor in the past week. This suggests a new product is in the pipeline.

[Johnny Mozzarella]

Airport Express + AT&T Microcell

[lodenmuse]

Originally Posted by SteveMinne

Apple USA has run out of Airport Extremes online and with their distributor in the past week. This suggests a new product is in the pipeline.

Yeah, I noticed on Amazon as I was just about to buy one! So wassup?

[HyteProsector]

I can't believe AI didn't post a link to their previous article on this matter.

Here it is:

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...hare_wifi.html

This has always made me question what direction Apple was headed in with their routers. What if Apple released routers that split your wi-fi signal in 2. One for you and one for the "Airport Community". Any one that had an airport/time capsule could use your signal and while traveling out an about and you could use theirs.

That would definitely make the iPod touch even more attractive than it already is. As well as any wifi equipped Apple product.

Haha... oh yeah. Make it locked in. Apples only. Apple's the stealth Microsoft. Remember?

Oh yeah.. edit: Lock in the freebee for Apple people only. Charge anyone with Windows for access. Linux? eh, they get enough shit for free.

[8CoreWhore]

It's not uncommon to see "unwired" and "Aussie's" in the same sentence.

[dualie]

Originally Posted by 8CoreWhore

It's not uncommon to see "unwired" and "Aussie's" in the same sentence.

Oy Oy Oy!

[GregAlexander]

Unwired has been trying to upgrade their network to WiMax for years... last I heard in late September they'd chosen 2 vendors... perhaps they are actually going to release WiMax years late.

Anyway - DON'T buy the bundle unless it's WiMax. The speeds quoted in the article are for the current/old network.

If it IS WiMax, it could be an international bundle easily enough. Intel is a big player in WiMax.

[arthurba]

The current unwired service (not the pipedream wimax thing) is absolute rubbish, two of my wife's family have tried using it in different parts of Sydney and the signals are weak and slow (when compared to Vodafone).

Now an Airport Express where the USB port provides support for a Vodafone modem stick - now that'd be a worldwide product that'd be really useful.

[yvo84]

Those speeds sound terrible, especially when i can get faster speeds on a mobile network.

[KingOfSomewhereHot]

Originally Posted by SteveMinne

Apple USA has run out of Airport Extremes online and with their distributor in the past week. This suggests a new product is in the pipeline.

hmm... just checked... shows "ships: within 24hrs".

I did notice that the Honolulu Apple Stores do NOT have any Mac Mini's on display though

[Murphster]

Funny the conclusions that AI jumps to sometimes.

This is clearly a a 3G airport express, you should slide your sim card in it and it can then share your wireless broadband with the rest of the house. It cannot be a difficult movie now they have a 3G phone to add the technology into their routers.

With Telstra having just announced speeds of up to 21MB on their 3G data service it is now very much seen as a good enough alternative to ADSL for many people.

[lofasz]

Originally Posted by SteveMinne

Apple USA has run out of Airport Extremes online and with their distributor in the past week. This suggests a new product is in the pipeline.

The British and the German online stores also predict 2-3 weeks for shipping.

[GregAlexander]

Originally Posted by Murphster

This is clearly a a 3G airport express, you should slide your sim card in it and it can then share your wireless broadband with the rest of the house.

Very interesting thought. Certainly plausible.

With Telstra having just announced speeds of up to 21MB on their 3G data service it is now very much seen as a good enough alternative to ADSL for many people.

Far far far too expensive.

But the prices they charge keep the usage lower and the speeds do genuinely get into the several megabit (on the 14Mbps system)... which is a good thing to see. The 21Mbps may increase this, but if I understand correctly the 21Mbps only increases the maximum possible speed, it doesn't affect the overall shared bandwidth or thus real world speeds?

Funny the conclusions that AI jumps to sometimes.

Well "Unwired Airport Express" does imply it works with Unwired. Wireless broadband is a fairly common term, so to not call it "Wireless Airport Express" if it is Telstra, and to use the name of a competitor, would seem odd.

Apple could do a great deal of things with wireless. Interesting to watch.

[Murphster]

I agree with your thoughts on being too expensive but many contracts are going to be business and therefore the company pays for it - like mine! So cost is less of an issue. Remember we would usually be talking about customers who want a wireless service first and then realize they do not need ADSL at home as well.

You can get the new Dell Netbook (which really is a nice netbook btw) for no money upfront on a 2yr $50 per month Telstra wireless contract. That is better value than an iPhone, I would not call that too expensive.

[michaelb]

Originally Posted by Murphster

I agree with your thoughts on being too expensive but many contracts are going to be business and therefore the company pays for it - like mine! So cost is less of an issue. Remember we would usually be talking about customers who want a wireless service first and then realize they do not need ADSL at home as well.

You can get the new Dell Netbook (which really is a nice netbook btw) for no money upfront on a 2yr $50 per month Telstra wireless contract. That is better value than an iPhone, I would not call that too expensive.

Do you have a link to that offer? How much data is included?

If it's the Dell Mini 9 (the one OEM'd by Samsung under the agreement to stop Samsung selling the NC10 in the same market as Dell) then I agree it's an appealing little netbook (as far as such things go), but I doubt the Telstra offer is the best way to get it.

I've seen it around, without looking too hard for $550. I've heard the US price is dropping to $249 USD. That Telstra 24 month contract would cost you $1200.

$10 (a month or when you use it up, whichever comes first) on Telstra PrePaid gets you 150 MB / month, probably enough for commuting use for a netbook. (I use this for my iPhone and rarely hit the limit.) 24 x 10 = $240.

$550 + 240 = $790 for a Dell Mini 9 with 150 MB /month of data for 2 years. That's a fair bit less than Telstra's $1200 offering you've cited, though I don't know how much data that includes.

As far a Netbook vs iPhone, it's a matter of personal preference, but... Well, let's just say the iPhone fits in your pocket much nicer!