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Apple unveils wireless music station

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CIOL Bureau
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SAN FRANCISCO: Apple Computer Inc. has unveiled a mobile wireless base station that lets users play digital music from their iTunes music libraries on a Macintosh or Windows computer over home stereo systems.

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The device, called AirPort Express, is slightly larger than the power adapter for a Macintosh notebook computer and works with a new version of Apple's iTunes digital jukebox software.



AirPort Express comes as PC makers like Gateway Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co. and consumer electronics companies such as Sony Corp. are seeking to gain a foothold in the digital living room with entertainment PCs.

Apple said AirPort Express is simple in that, it allows digital music to be beamed to a home stereo, and it is a portable wireless base station that uses the 802.11g standard. It can be used in hotel rooms with broadband connections or for setting up instant wireless networks.

"This is really the product that brings these two worlds together," said Greg Joswiak, head of Apple's hardware product marketing, in a telephone interview, referring to wireless connectivity and digital music.



In May, Microsoft Corp. said it would discontinue most of its own wireless hardware products. The world's largest software company launched its Wi-Fi business in late 2002, saying it wanted to make wireless networking and access to the Internet more accessible.

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Apple has had more than 85 million downloads from its popular iTunes music store, which officially only works with its market-leading iPod digital music players. Songs typically cost 99 cents each and users can download them onto as many iPods as they like and on up to five computers.

AirPort Express plugs into a power outlet and has connectors for a DSL or cable modem, a USB port for printing and an analog and digital audio output that can be connected to a stereo. It uses AirTunes music networking software to wirelessly stream music over remote speakers or a stereo.



Joswiak said being able to wirelessly transmit songs from an iTunes music library on a Mac or PC was a top request from customers.

iTunes 4.6 detects a stereo or speakers, Joswiak said, and displays them in a pop-up list for users to select. Transmissions are encoded to prevent theft.



There has been speculation for months that Apple may soon unveil an iPod that plays movies, but Joswiak said the company has no plans yet for such a device.

AirPort Express costs $129 and will be available in July.

© Reuters

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