Microsoft Launches Own Line Of AirPort Products [Corrected]

by , 12:00 PM EST, November 27th, 2002

[Correction: The story was originally published with an incorrect quote, which has now been corrected. - Editor]

Let it never be said that Microsoft is afraid of appearing the copycat. The company has innovated yet again by launching a line of Microsoft-branded 802.11b base stations and wireless cards. Apple launched this segment of the market in 1999 when it shipped the iBook, the first Apple portable with built-in 802.11b support. According to an article from NewsFactor, Microsoft is choosing to do this because its customers think setting up a wireless network is too hard. From the article:

Microsoft's move to label its own wireless networking packages has earned a positive response from some analysts. "People like Microsoft buying other companies' products and selling them under its own label," Aberdeen Group analyst Isaac Ro told NewsFactor.

The software giant is betting on the notion that many home computer users have resisted wireless networking until now because of a perception that they would have trouble configuring the hardware -- a pervasive problem with DSL and cable Internet connections a couple of years ago.

"The process of setting up a wireless network has simply been too complex for the people looking to share their broadband Internet connection," said Lisa Brummel, corporate vice president for the Microsoft Home Products Division.

Microsoft's base station is being priced at US$149.95, about half the price of Apple's branded base station. The company's various network cards are being priced at US$79.95, compared to US$99.00 for Apple's AirPort card. You can find more in the full article at Yahoo!'s Web site.

The Mac Observer Spin:

We are actually glad to see Microsoft pushing this technology because it will mean that there will be more wireless networks for all of us to enjoy. With Microsoft's State-sanctioned monopoly power behind 802.11b, there simply *will* be more credibility in the marketplace among the lemmings. That's how it works.

That said, we are tickled at the notion that Microsoft is positioning 802.11b networks as having been "too complex." That's amusing when one considers just how easy they are to set up. Oh, wait. They're easy to set up on the Mac. In that case, carry on, Microsoft. There's little doubt that many Windows users are indeed intimidated.

Our only surprise is that the company didn't also try and position its 802.11b products as "new and innovative."

On another note, Apple should be feeling some pricing pressure on its own products, especially the base station. Apple has features like AOL support and a built-in modem that other 802.11b base stations don't have, but the company's AirPort base station is officially way at the top end of the pricing chart. With R&D long paid for, this is one product where Apple can indeed afford to come down a bit, and it's ironic that competition from Microsoft might actually spark that.