Steve didn't mention it during his keynote just now, but in addition to bringing
AirPlay music streaming to iOS 4.2 and
iTunes 10, Apple's also opening the tech up to third parties, with a few big names already on board. That means you'll be able to stream music from iTunes, your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad to speaker docks, receivers and stereos from companies like Denon, Marantz, Bowers & Wilkins, JBL and iHome, complete with song, album, and artist info and album art. That certainly makes the system much more flexible, especially since you can stream to multiple speakers at once -- and damn, building a mix-and-match whole-house audio system just got incredibly easy. We're definitely digging for more info on this and some release dates for compatible gear, we'll let you know.
