Apple Reveals new Airport, Apple TV, and iPhone

Wi-Fi Product Watch
By Wi-Fi Planet Staff

January 9, 2007

Today at the Macworld Expo, Apple, Inc. — not Apple Computer anymore — CEO Steve Jobs officially showed what is now called Apple TV, a box for streaming video from your PC or Mac — including items purchased on the iTunes Store — to your TV. It has USB 2.0, Ethernet and HDMI connectors, plus integrated Draft-N Wi-Fi running in 2.4GHz (compatible with 802.11b/g). A 40GB drive inside with an Intel processor power the unit. It can synch with at least one computer in your home. Look for it in February for $299.

The Draft-N support goes part and parcel with Apple's new AirPort Extreme Base Station. It supports 802.11n in both 2.4 and 5GHz spectrums for full backward compability with 802.11a/b/g -- they claim 11n is found on most shipping Mac computers "when upated with 802.11n Enabler software" which will come with the new AirPort. The unit has three 10/100 Ethernet ports (no Gigabit) and one USB port. It supports WPA2, no word on if it supports the new Wi-Fi Protected Setup spec. Available in February for $179.

Apple also unveiled the long awaited iPhone. It will support GSM+EDGE for Cingular, the initial carrier, but also embedded Wi-Fi. No word on if it'll do UMA switch over yet. And it runs on... MacOS X. Apple apparently will sign a deal with Cisco to use the iPhone name... so Linksys and Apple may both use the title on products. Apple's, of course, is the cool one with no buttons (and no stylus), a 2 megapixel camera, support for Google Talk, Google Maps, and Yahoo's IMAP-based "pushed" email....just about everything a geek could want in a phone. Cost? $500 with a two-year contract and 4GB of flash memory. $600 for 8GB. Look for more info on iPhone's impact at InternetNews