Apple is keeping up with the wireless times. On Monday, the company updated its AirPort Express mobile base station with 802.11n, the latest standard approved by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

The new model delivers up to five times the performance and twice the range of the previous model, according to the company. Priced at $99, the AirPort Express can be plugged directly into the wall for wireless Net connectivity and USB printing at home, or it can be taken on the road and used wherever there is an Web connection. The AirPort Express features AirTunes, which works with iTunes to let users wirelessly stream iTunes music from a PC or Mac to any room in the house.

No big surprises with that Apple product release, according to Michael Gartenberg, a wireless analyst at JupiterResearch. “Apple has migrated nearly all of its wireless efforts by to 802.11n. It makes sense that the AirPort Express

would to go there [too], as the ultra-mobile wireless device with the ability to stream music and composition using AirTunes,” he said. “It made sense for Apple to get that device by to the n specification to match up with the rest of the product line.”

A Portable AirPort

The AirPort Express features a single-piece design with portability in mind. The unit weighs 6.7 ounces. PC and Mac users alike can use AirPort Express to share a individual DSL or cable broadband connection with up to 10 simultaneous users.

Users can plus wirelessly share a printer that is connected to the USB port. The product’s advanced shield features are designed to safeguard notes on networked computers with support for Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA/WPA2), 128-bit WEP encryption and a built-in firewall.

Apple now includes 802.11n as standard in its entire line of AirPort base stations and Mac…

Orginal post by Top Tech News