Apple AirPlay devices set to explode in 2011
Although DLNA may have had a significant head start, the streaming media standard available on more than 9,000 devices is about to be challenged in a very big way by Apple's upstart AirPlay technology. At least it will be if Jordan Watters …
Context & Ripple Effects
The stage was set through late 2010: Steve Jobs said in November that AirPlay video streaming would reach Safari and third-party apps during 2011, and by mid-December a TUAW-documented hack had shown a Mac-based AirPlay service pulling off device-to-Mac playback. Against that backdrop, Engadget's Jordan Watters argues 2011 is when AirPlay mounts a serious run at DLNA.
The asymmetry is the story's core tension: DLNA's standard ships on more than 9,000 devices — an installed base no single-vendor protocol can match on paper — while AirPlay counters with Apple's integrated experience and a roadmap that extends it beyond iTunes content. Whether curated ease-of-use can convert hardware partners at scale against an open consortium is the question the piece frames for the year ahead.
First-order effects
- Consumer AV and speaker makers face a sharper fork in 2011: certify for DLNA's open standard or join Apple's licensed AirPlay program, whose pitch is strengthened by Jobs' committed expansion of AirPlay video into Safari and third-party apps.
- iPhone and iPad owners get a credible path to pushing any web or app video to AirPlay-enabled receivers in 2011, not just content bought through iTunes.
Second-order effects
- DLNA comes under pressure to close its usability gap — 9,000 certified devices matter less if setup friction pushes mainstream buyers toward Apple-certified gear.
- Accessory manufacturers have incentive to hedge across both camps, since AirPlay ties hardware sales to iOS ownership while DLNA sells into any ecosystem.
Third-order effects
- If AirPlay's momentum holds, living-room streaming consolidates around vendor-controlled protocols, moving the competitive moat from standards bodies to the platform owners who license compatibility.
- A bifurcated market — low-cost open-standard devices versus premium Apple-certified ones — would make cross-brand interoperability itself the feature consumers pay a premium to escape.
The trend: Wireless home media streaming is settling into a two-track standards contest, with Apple's tightly governed AirPlay testing whether user experience can beat DLNA's installed-base advantage.