Apple’s Wireless Future

ThinkSecret recently reported that the new iMacs are shipping with an advanced 802.11n wireless chipset. Although there is still no official ratified specification for 802.11n, and probably won’t be until late 2008, it seems as though Apple doesn’t intend to wait that long. Long ago, before 802.11b was standard on every laptop, Apple took a risk by offering it in all their shipping laptops and was one of the first PC manufacturers to make it a standard option in all its configurations.

With the 802.11n spec looming just over the horizon, Apple pledges to bring all your media streaming into the living room with its recently announced iTV set-top device. While the iTV has only been pre-announced, details about the inner workings are scarce. For example, Disney CEO Bob Iger mentioned that it would have a small HD to cache media streams, but Steve Jobs did not mention this during the unveiling keynote. However, Jobs did leave an air of ambiguity regarding the wireless specifications on the iTV, saying that it used only 802.11 Spec, without mentioning the specific series (a,b or n). So what are Apple’s plans? No one knows for sure, but given the iMac’s new wireless chipset inclusion it seems logical that Apple would want to take advantage of this new specification and take that first bold step in setting the standard.

While Apple appears to be embracing this new wireless specification, what about all the computers it has already shipped, or the ones it currently offers? Also, how do wired computers get their media to the iTV? The solution: Air Fi, a concept name for what will be the successor to the Apple Airport Extreme base station, and mostly likely an essential add-on for your home network to replace that aging Linksys 802.11b router. Linksys is also rumored to be developing “Apple Compliant” 802.11n wifi cards that will fit the seemingly underutilized ExpressCard/34 slot. In accordance with Jobs’ self-proclaimed blitzkrieg on our living rooms, the iTV will be a runaway success, not unlike the iPod.

Also, lets not forget about the reported Google/Apple iTV talks reported by the BBC, in which Google is said to have negotiated a deal with Apple to get Google Videos into thousands of homes through the iTV. The stakes have been raised even higher given Google’s recent acquisition of YouTube. It appears as though 2007 is going to be the year that user-generated content breaks out in a big way, and really permeates into our everyday media consumption. Apple reinvented the MP3 market in 2000 and seems ready and willing to pave another path in this new media revolution.

UPDATE:

TUAW is reporting that Apple has sneaked new draft 802.11 cards into the updated MacBooks.