Jbl Floor Speakers

Apple AirPlay set for quick takeoff

(CNN) -- Some manufacturers of consumer-grade speaker systems are scrambling to make their products compatible with Apple's wireless features.

The first audio equipment with out-of-the-box support for Apple AirPlay protocol debuted in April. The feature allows users to press a button on their iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad or iTunes software and instantly transmit audio from the device to the speaker system over a Wi-Fi connection.

Some audio equipment companies say they're feeling the pressure to add this Apple-specific feature to more of their product lines.

That comes as Apple is mulling whether it will scale back or entirely do away with the iPod-dock speakers and alarm clocks it sells in its retail stores, according to a person familiar with Apple's discussions who was not authorized to discuss the plans. Apple's proposal to cut back on the supply of dock products it carries was first reported by Twice , a consumer-electronics trade publication.

An Apple spokeswoman didn't respond to a request for comment.

Apple's push for AirPlay is consistent with a history of flexing its influence to shape partners' businesses, as it did for pricing digital music, enforcing guidelines on accessory makers and changing rules for app developers.

Although some Apple product users enjoy having an alarm clock with a dock by their bedsides to charge their phones, AirPlay has notable advantages. Docking a 10-inch tablet like the iPad is impractical, and AirPlay also allows you to transmit music directly from a computer.

Apple laid out its grand vision for an untethered computing world on Monday with the announcement of iCloud . That came nine months after Apple announced AirPlay.

Apple often nudges its suppliers into supporting new technologies, and one of those ways is by putting its marketing might behind the company's newest offerings, said Ross Rubin, a music-industry analyst for the NPD Group.

"The Apple Store is clearly an important retailer for selling iPod docks, and it is a retailer that strives to showcase the latest technology directions from Apple," Rubin said. "A lot of the products carried in the Apple Stores tend to be at the higher end of the price spectrum."

iPod-dock systems without the wireless bells and whistles should continue to drop in price, serving a large mass market at stores like Best Buy and Walmart, Rubin said.

However, for the equipment companies targeting the Apple faithful -- consumers who learn about and buy many of their products at Apple stores -- it's an important venue to occupy.

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