RE:RE:Additional evidence Fortune 500 company is APPLE. You make an interesting point, and I agree, Apple is more of a buzz to pump the stock than anything else...
I don't see an interest in Edgewater’s tech in residential for another year or two unless the APs can be made REAL cheap though. Where they're of major interest though is venues with a high density of users.
A few people have mentioned restaurants, coffee shops, libraries, etc. A few have said they have no problems in them. To have no issues in those venues, and in particular larger ones costs the provider HUGE dollars. Not just in hardware, but in ongoing support, maint, power and management.
An average ENTERPRISE class AP can support between 15-25 concurrent connections before they start to experience major performance degradation. Yes, more can connect to it (I have APs that SHOW 50+ connections) and will work... kinda... but the performance is significantly impacted, and slower devices will impact on the experience of all, in particular if you're providing support to b,g,n,a devices all off the same APs. To deal with this, you add more APs in areas where you have a higher density of devices. This alleviates the problem to some extent, but ultimately you hit the point where the amount of 'clutter' in the channels causes problems, even on APs managed by the same controllers. Then add in that an enterprise AP will cost between $400-$900 per unit. Each needs wiring back to a POE switch (or electrical outlet if you're backhauling with mesh). Most enterprise devices use a central controller to manage them, either hardware or software, which is typically licensed for a block of APs (8-16-64-128-etc). On top of all that, most companies will pay support charges of 15-25%/unit/year for support and maint for upgrades and repairs. Believe me... your 'free Wi-Fi' is costing someone!
Equipment that can drastically reduce the number of APs required would be a MAJOR boon to a provider trying to service to the ever increasing number of phones... tablets... TVs... Fridges... etc. that need to be connected. It's also worthwhile to remember that "the internet of THINGS" is becoming increasingly popular. More and more devices are being made to be connected, and interconnected. Traffic lights, parking meters, appliances, medical devices, cars, electrical meters, et al... More devices means more density which increases the demand for services. These connections need to be provided by someone, be it a carrier, private company or a government.
Sorry for sounding like a sales person... it was nice to read a post that was more in depth than $$$$ or impending doom. Yes, I've MASSIVELY oversimplified wireless tech in the above... I don't know how many people here are technical, but expect the majority don't care anyway ;)
Oh, and in addition to carriers when it comes to partners... Lenovo comes to mind as a major chinese company with offices in NA that carries both retail and enterprise class laptops, tablets, pcs and servers... and is currently stuck listing D-Link under wireless gear on their website...
Do your DD, GL and GN. Happy Friday!