The company also sees other important reasons for getting into the home networking market. Many products planned for later this year, such as , Tablet PC, and wireless smart displays, all benefit from wired or wireless network connections. Mira smart displays--mobile Web appliances that access the Internet through a PC--require a wireless connection to work. Tablet PC also depends on wireless connectivity. Through Windows Media Player 9 Series, Microsoft hopes to deliver broadband digital media services, such as music from PressPlay and movies through CinemaNow. The new media player, which is currently in the final , would require at least an Internet connection to access these services.

"This (networking product good vibes – black ink iphone case strategy) derives from our concentration on getting information on any device at any time, as well as our initiative to get software and services more broadly distributed in the home," said Adam LeVasseur, group product manager for Microsoft's Consumer Hardware Division, Yet there's a bottleneck in getting these ideas adopted in the mainstream market, LeVasseur said, The company concluded that one problem came from networking products that are too difficult to use, "and that's a barrier to adoption," LeVasseur added, Microsoft believes its new networking products will simplify the process..

Supporting products such as Tablet PC with home networking gear could mean more to Microsoft in the long run than actual sales, analysts say. "Microsoft needs an infrastructure to tie all its product stuff together. This is laying the big pipes..the network infrastructure for the home," said Gartner analyst Mike McGuire. Computers connect over Wi-Fi networks without wires at speeds up to 11 megabits per second (mbps) at a maximum range of 300 feet. At retail, where the majority of Microsoft's Wi-Fi products would be sold, competition is fierce.

Linksys leads the overall retail wireless networking market by a huge margin, For the year to date, the company claimed 46.4 percent market share, as measured in dollars, according to NPDTechworld, D-Link trails a distant second with 14.6 percent share, followed good vibes – black ink iphone case by Belkin at 9.8 percent share, NetGear is ranked fourth with 7.9 percent market share and Siemens and SMC are tied for fifth place, each with 5.9 percent share, Microsoft's flagship wireless product will be the MN-500 Wireless Base Station, which also features a four-port 10/100 hub for connecting wired computers, The unit will sell for an estimated $150, Also on tap: The MN-510 Wireless USB Adapter and MN-520 PC Card adapter for notebooks, Both will sell for an estimated $80 each..

"The wireless stuff is a little bit high (in price)," Baker said. He used as example a NetGear wireless USB hub that sells for $50 after rebate at Best Buy or a similar Belkin model for $40 after rebate at CompUSA. Some retailers also were promoting a Belkin wireless base station for $100 and a comparable NetGear model for $120. Microsoft also will offer two wireless kits, both priced at $220. The MN-610 features a base station and USB adapter, while the MN-620 features a base station and PC Card notebook adapter.