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“BridgeCo worked with Apple on its new AirPlay, where anyone with an iPod, iPhone, or iPad will be able to walk around his or her home and wirelessly send music from iTunes to receivers made by Denon, iHome Audio, Marantz, JBL, and Bowers & Wilkens,” Wells reports. “Unlike past products which did something similar, this is not a third-party reverse engineering workaround which has to be reworked every time Apple has a software update.”
“This is a product created by a third party with Apple’s blessing,” Wells reports. “‘Apple has never opened up their eco-system,’ says BridgeCo CEO Gene Sheridan. ‘We’ve always been knocking on the door to work with them on this.’
Wells reports, “The 10-year-old company has worked with Apple in the past on iPod docking products and, finally, a year ago, Sheridan says Apple chose BridgeCo to be a launch partner for AirPlay. Why? ‘They’re not gonna create the world’s stereo equipment,’ he says. Instead, Apple decided BridgeCo had the software and the well-known stereo equipment customers in place, and so Apple agreed to let Sheridan and his team get a look at the iTunes code. What was that like? ‘There is a magic to Apple that sounds simple,’ he says, clearly in awe.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: As Apple explains on their AirPlay webpage:
AirPlay lets you stream music throughout your entire house — wirelessly. AirPlay wireless technology will be fully integrated into speaker docks, AV receivers, and stereo systems from companies such as Bowers & Wilkins and Denon. So you can enjoy your entire iTunes library — every song and every playlist — wirelessly.
Say you have one set of speakers in your bedroom, one in the office, and one in the living room. For the ultimate sonic panorama, you can stream your tunes to more than one room simultaneously, so you’ll never lose the beat, no matter where you are in the house. Just select “Multiple Speakers” from the speaker pulldown menu in iTunes. AirPlay works over Wi-Fi or an Ethernet connection, or a combination of both. So you can stream music directly from your home network if you’re near an Ethernet port or connect wirelessly if you’re not.
AirPlay does more than just stream your music to external speakers. It streams information about your music, too. Song titles, artists, album names, elapsed and remaining time, and album artwork all appear on AirPlay-enabled speakers with graphical displays.
More info here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Arline M.” for the heads up.]
Apple probably bought this company, it just hasn’t been announced yet.
They are slowly creeping into every single corner of the house.
Apple is taking over!
Sounds a lot like these parts of the Bluetooth profile:
A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile)
AVRCP (Audio/Video Remote Control Profile)
Hmm.. next up: new Apple TV!
The wired home of the future will be, – wireless..
Back around 2003, or there-abouts, Philips said they were going to work with Apple to do something like this. I’ve been waiting ever since.
“‘Apple has never opened up their eco-system,’ says BridgeCo CEO Gene Sheridan.”
What about these technologies that Apple opened up to the outside?
iPod dock connector
FireWire
Bonjour
Webkit
AppleTalk
LocalTalk
QuickLook
Safari extensions
More…?
This company just hit the jackpot, and Apple just hit another towering home run.
I use AppleTV to stream to home entertainment center… but this is cool. I would be good to have AirPlay built in, especially in other rooms.
Not publicly traded. Damnit.
-jcr
Apple are just spinning off more and more good ideas. Jesus it’s unbelievable.
What’s next – an iPod wristwatch – dammit they just did that one.
I’ve only got a certain amount of money to spend. I’ve got to eat you know. Can someone tell them to stop it!?!?
@ DogGone,
A watch strap for the new Nano. Somebody get that to market ASAP.
I need help in how to restore on a g airport express the ability to play my music wirelessly. I keep selecting multiple play and it does not play the music. It goes to airplay of my n airport express but then I don’t have my bose companion 2 connected to it.
Did apple change iTunes 10 to only work with airplay? Will iTunes10 still work with the no airplay enabled g airport express?
@ dog gone
Get a good sweat wristband.
Clip an iPod nano
select a clock app put on full display
plug a mic/earphone
Get Skype
And you get a high tech Dick Tracy watch. I always wanted one in the fifties
Thanks for the tip.
well, it’s nice not to need an Airport Express anymore with AirTunes for sending music to other rooms (you could always use an optical cable if in the same room). but this is high end stuff i’ll never buy. and you still have to go back to your computer to select the tracks/lists. whereas just carrying around your iPod/iPhone and plugging it in to an iHome-type device in every room is cheaper and more flexible.
ATV2 with AirPlay actually replaces Airport Express with AirTunes at about the same price point and is much much better, because it adds video and local remote control. plus you can use your iThing in that room for this without needing to plug it in to anything. so just buy an ATV2 @ $99 for each room and connect it to whatever A/V stuff you already have there, any brand.
of course Apple could also license AirPlay to be built in to HDTV’s as well, eliminating the need for an ATV set top box. we’ll see …
Until the new sound systems are ready you can do much the same by connecting an airport express to your stereo’s inputs. In Airport Utility, just select “extending a network” for that Airport express. I’ve been doing this for years.
If you want to play music and video directly from your iPad to your friend’s TV and home theatre, well, tell em to get a new AppleTV.
I already do this from my desktop to both my home theatres in my house with a 3rd one being the hot tub in the back yard. I can’t wait for it to work with my iPad and iPhone too.