Apple Unveils AirPort Express with AirTunes (Pics)

Apple today unveiled a device called AirPort Express with AirTunes. This device plugs into your stereo or powered speakers and allows you to play iTunes stored on your notebook through the speakers in your stereo. Your iBook or Windows based laptop can become the audio control box for all your listening needs! The AirPort Express can also be used as a wireless router in and of itself or simply to boost a wireless signal in your home. There are many uses for this small and handy new wireless device from Apple.

The new Apple AirPort Express

All you have to do is relax on your favorite couch and listen to your playlists or enjoy an audiobook. Use your AirPort-equipped Apple iBook or Wi-Fi equipped Windows based notebook as a kind of superpowered remote control to play exactly the songs you want to hear without ever having to leave your seat to fumble through a mess of CDs.

You can evenbuyseveral AirPort Express Base Stations and connect one to every stereo or set of powered speakers in your house — one to your stereo in your bedroom, one to your stereo in your living room and still another to a pair of powered speakers in your kitchen, for example. Its small size and affordability make it perfect for having more than one. Imagine being able to play your iTunes music on whichever speakers in your house you prefer at a given moment.

How it Works

Just plug the Apple AirportExpress into the wall, connect it to your stereo via included stereo connection kit, let your iTunes software automatically detect the remote speakers and start streaming your iTunes away!

AirPort Express with AirTunes brings your iTunes music in your Mac or PC into your living room — or wherever in your home you have a stereo or a set of powered speakers. All you have to do is connect your sound system to the audio port on the AirPort Express Base Station using an audio cable (included in the optional AirPort Express Stereo Connection Kit) and AirTunes lets you play your iTunes music through your stereo or powered speakers — wirelessly. iTunes software on your notebook automatically detects the connection of your remote speakers, so you just have to select them in the popup list that appears at the bottom of the iTunes window and click play.

The Airport Express is easy to setup, just plug it into the wall and then plug it into your speaker and cable modem or simply use it as a wireless signal booster

Buy more than one AirPort Express Base Station and connect one to every stereo or set of powered speakers in your house — one to your stereo in your living room and another to a pair of powered speakers in your kitchen, for example. Its small size and affordability make it perfect for having more than one. Imagine being able to play your iTunes music on whichever speakers in your house you prefer.

Because AirPort Express is so compact, you can also easily take it along with your laptop to a friend’s house and share your unique musical taste on your friend’s stereo. Or if you are on the road and want to use it in a hotel that has an ethernet connection, simply plug it into the ethernet outlet and your room is instantly wireless!

If you already have a wireless network in your home, the Apple Airport Express can be used as a signal booster as well. Suppose you want to connect to the internet with yournotebook in an area that lies beyond the 150-foot range of your wireless router, you can use the Airport Express as a wireless bridge to extend the range by boosting your signal.

Pricing and Availability

The AirPort Express costs $129 and is available from several retailers