Columnist Wilson Rothman called Express, “very small and simple to use” and mentioned its easy iwizardi setup and compatibility with Windows.
Mr. Rothman ended his column by warning users of an installation problem he encountered.
“First, if you have a Microsoft-branded wireless router (now discontinued), you may have difficulty sending music to Express,” he wrote. “Second, on a Mac, if youive just gone through setup and canit get the Express speaker option to appear in iTunes, check your AirPort connection. On at least one occasion, upon completing setup, I was casually dropped off the network. A final piece of advice is this: if you do run into any trouble and have to reset the Express, hold the reset button for at least five seconds, maybe even as long as 10 seconds, to ensure a fresh start.”
Apple Computer introduced the AirPort Express on June 7. The product began shipping July 14, with Apple claiming it had 80,000 pre-orders for the product. AirPort express retails for US$129.00.
Essentially, AirPort Express is a 802.11g mobile base station that features wireless Internet connections and USB printing. It also features both analog and digital audio outputs that can be connected to a home stereo, and together with AirTunes music networking software, allows wireless streaming of music from iTunes on a Mac or PC to any room.