New Airport Express Anytime Soon?

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corkurkcorkurk
Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
Does anyone here have any guesses as to when we might see an updated Airport Express? I'm planning on adding one so that I can use the Airtunes feature through my home stereo. I'd rather spend the $120 on the AE than buy yet another pair of computer speakers for my apartment (the bigger speakers will no doubt sound better anyway).



Just curious if anyone thinks we might see something that adds not only audio, but video capabilities in the short term future. I know the 802.11n technology is a ways off and I'm not sure if the current tech could even handle video. However, being able to send either audio or video from my MacBook Pro through the home theater set-up while crashed out on the couch sounds really appealing.



Any comments? Guesses?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 5
    imacfanimacfan Posts: 444member
    You need to remember that when Apple started selling Airport, it really was cutting edge, and hardly heard of in the PC world. It took years for everyone else to get on the bandwagon.



    Basic router functions aren't really necessary anymore - most will get that with their broadband subscription or go with a cheaper belkin/netgear/linksys option. All that remains is the audio streaming, and are we really that far away from a universal standard for that?



    Don't be too surprised if Apple exit this market altogether. It's now gone from boutique to commodity, and is not their core business, so may make sense to step aside and look for the next opportunity for a high-margin peripheral. They've already done it with the laser printer and digital camera, to name but two.



    David
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  • Reply 2 of 5
    silverdogsilverdog Posts: 56member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Corkurk

    Does anyone here have any guesses as to when we might see an updated Airport Express? I'm planning on adding one so that I can use the Airtunes feature through my home stereo. I'd rather spend the $120 on the AE than buy yet another pair of computer speakers for my apartment (the bigger speakers will no doubt sound better anyway).



    Just curious if anyone thinks we might see something that adds not only audio, but video capabilities in the short term future. I know the 802.11n technology is a ways off and I'm not sure if the current tech could even handle video. However, being able to send either audio or video from my MacBook Pro through the home theater set-up while crashed out on the couch sounds really appealing.



    Any comments? Guesses?



    The price of an AE seems steep now as many Apple products are when they get long in the tooth.



    I came up with two excuses to buy the AE when they came out, the audio out and it had WDS which was rare at the time. The WDS gave better coverage for Apple laptops with poor Wifi reception (read early Tibook.) (A Buffalo Airstation is the base station as it is cheaper and also supports WDS.)



    There were early complaints about the cheap D/A converters in the AEs but using the optical out from the AE to your receiver bypasses that complaint and the sound is as good as your receiver. I think it's great.



    I wouldn't hold my breath on video this is a convergence of two technologies in transition, 802.11n and DTV. It may come out but it would really be on the bleeding edge. (Mpeg4 transmission to S-video, component, or HDMI?)
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  • Reply 3 of 5
    badllamabadllama Posts: 11member
    I would expect a revision of the Airport when the 802.11N becomes a set in stone standard.



    I doubt apple will release a pre-N router just because they make such little revisions on their products durring its life time.
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  • Reply 4 of 5
    silverdogsilverdog Posts: 56member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by badllama

    I would expect a revision of the Airport when the 802.11N becomes a set in stone standard.



    I doubt apple will release a pre-N router just because they make such little revisions on their products durring its life time.



    The current products being announced as N are definitely premature. The standard being used in these products are based on the first draft and it had a lot of comments. Here is a link to the current status of the N version.



    http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/802/1..._Timelines.htm



    It sounds pretty harsh to say that Apple waits until the standard is 'set in stone' as they have been leaders on b and g standard when they were finalized. However you are right they do wait for an established standard to guarantee interoperability. Wifi has become a generic term, but it actually is a standard for interoperability with certified products.



    http://www.wi-fi.org/



    I am with iMacfan above when he says that Apple may leave this space (unless they can find something novel to add.) It is a crowded space and there are a lot of people running ahead of the standards.
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  • Reply 5 of 5
    silverdogsilverdog Posts: 56member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Silverdog

    I am with iMacfan above when he says that Apple may leave this space (unless they can find something novel to add.) It is a crowded space and there are a lot of people running ahead of the standards. [/B]



    Speaking of people running ahead of the crowd. It looks like Dell and Acer are going to jump the gun and hope that Draft 1 isn't too far off the final standard which according to the link posted earlier won't be final until mid 2007.



    http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/07...0211n_laptops/



    As they mention in the article it is important that you know the chipset in your laptop as it isn't likely to work with other implementations of the 'n standard'.
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