Two Lessons from Airport Express

When Apple Computer introduced Airport Express several weeks ago, many users yawned and said, "So what."

On the other hand, when you look closely at Airport Express you notice that it’s an important piece to a puzzle. Just like discovering a critical piece to a jigsaw puzzle, Airport Express snaps Apple's digital hub puzzle into focus.

Airport Express is loosely coupled and flexible. What’s more, it packs a number of open standards -- 802.11g, Rendezvous, USB -- into a portable unit. Among its features, Airport Express lets you stream tunes from a Mac or PC directly to your stereo.

Now, think of companies that make home entertainment equipment. You can clearly see that if they add wireless (802.11g) features to their products, they should also benefit from Airport Express.

What are the lessons from Apple’s new wireless base station?

Open standards produce options that make it easier for Apple’s employees and business partners to create new products.

When you create flexible products your customers are free -- free to use (and demonstrate) your product in a variety of situations.