Plus, it's another step towards Apple's current goal of controlling the Web-based music marketplace.

I've always thought Apple's Airport Base Stations were overpriced for home users and never destined to gain a foothold in the corporate (i.e. Windoze) world. At $129, the 10 user, 802.11g Airport Express Wi-Fi access point is still a little pricer than its competitors, but outrageously so. Factor in the portability of the unit and you've got an attractive little router for PowerBook/iBook users who occassionally hit the road and want the wireless comforts of home in their hotel rooms. Also, it can function as a wireless bridge/repeater, which is kind of handy.

Wi-Fi printers are just starting to hit the marketplace. HP's got one that sells in Apple Retail Stores for $149. But if you're like me and your aged but beautiful photo printer is still turning out great quality prints (and decently fast text), you don't really want to spend $150 to get rid of a few USB cables if it means losing a little print quality. $129 is a little pricey for a USB print server, but it's cheaper than $149. And -- oh yeah -- it also functions as a 54g router. So I can sell the Netgear for $10 (or donate it for a $70 tax write-off) and both upgrade my network and lose the printer cables in the process. Plus, I'll have a router I can throw in my laptop bag if, you know, I ever really need to feel like MacGyver.

I've seen and played with a handful of Mac-compatible streaming audio receivers -- stay tuned for an upcoming review of Slim Devices' Squeezebox and MacSense's HomePod -- and while I really like the idea, I'm still waiting for the technology to mature a little before dropping $200 for one of them. Even though the specs all say 802.11b, I'm thinking if I'm going to base my music around my home wireless network, I want it running at 54mpbs just in case. I love music. I hate troubleshooting. I've found that running two laptops and a music server slows down my .11b network -- whether that's the equipment's fault or the fault of my configuration, I don't know. But it makes me a little gun shy about buying one. But for $129, a 54g router and streaming audio system might be worth the gamble ... at the least I'll have that upgraded home network, right?

Apple seems to have themselves a pretty neat little swiss army knife of a gadget here -- three or so gadgets rolled into one, really. My one misgiving about the system has to do with the fact that the audio functionality is controlled by (a forthcoming upgrade of) iTunes. This means that while you can set up your Airport Express and connected speakers anywhere you want, you'll have to be at your computer (Mac or PC, since iTunes now runs on both) to navigate your playlist. I'm thinking maybe some third-party company will build an infrared USB adapter so the navigation can be handled with a Palm or cellphone remote ... But, no, you'd need to get back to the iTunes host computer somehow.

The answer, of course, can be found in the big picture. Airport Express isn't Apple's end-all, be-all solution to home media. It's just a step ... and a baby one, at that, I'd venture to guess. This is a computer company that just split itself off an iPod division, remember. That means music now, maybe video soon, certainly consumer electronics no matter how you look at it. A little poking around the Web coverage the Airport Express introduction found me this interesting bit of Q & A from The Wall Street Journal's "D: All Things Digital" conference over on Apple Insider:

When Jobs was demonstrating the new Airport Express, Walt Mossberg said that the biggest problem he saw was that users had to get up and walk to your computer to change play lists. Jobs joked that walking was good, but when pressed, he smiled a wry smile. AppleInsider correspondents took this to mean that Apple is developing in this area, and the Airport Express is just a step along the way.

Yep, just a step. Maybe a remote is in the works. But more likely, maybe Apple's working on a full-on home media hub, Apple-style. A stand-alone box that runs a stripped-down variant on iTunes, is remote controllable via an LCD screen or your TV, and can stream media between your computer and any Airport Express boxes you might lying around the house. Maybe that means we'll have to wait for iTunes video integration, maybe not ... But one thing's for sure. Digital media is a new market, and Apple's got the upperhand right now. Don't think for a moment that they're going to rest on the iPod's laurels. Think modularity, upgrade paths, Apple gizmos in every room of the house where you might want to listen to music, watch video, surf the Web or even use a computer.

And oh yeah ... iTunes Music Store Europe launches on June 15. WWDC kicks off 13 days after that. And those 60GB iPod rumors already have Mr. Jobs irked. Looks like a fun summer...

* * * *
Noah Kravitz runs the Technology and Culture blog Threebase.com. He is an educator, musician, and writer who calls Brooklyn, NY home and the author of the forthcoming book, Teaching and Learning with Technology.