CUPERTINO, Calif. - Reaching further into living rooms, Apple Computer Inc. on Tuesday introduced a speaker system for its iPod music players and a revamped Mac Mini computer that will let users access music, video and photos across their home networks.

The new Mac Mini also includes Apple's Front Row software, already found on the newest iMacs, so users can connect it to their televisions and control their music, videos, or photos with a remote control from across the room.

An added feature of the Front Row software will let users locate and share media content from other computers within a local wireless network. This means a user can play songs or stored TV shows that are pulled off a computer in another room in the house.

The new Mac Mini looks much like its previous incarnations but is the first to include Intel Corp. chips. Apple said the $599 model that has a single-core chip operates up to three times faster than its predecessor. A higher-end, $799 model has two computing engines in one processor that that runs about five times faster, Apple said.

With the iPod Hi-Fi system — priced at $349 — users can dock their portable players into the speakers and use a remote control to operate it from afar. That means there's no longer a need for a cabinet full of CDs, Apple Chief Executive
Steve Jobs said during a presentation at company headquarters.

"It's home stereo reinvented for the iPod age," he said.

All the products are available now.

Shares of Apple fell $2.02, or 2.85 percent, to $68.97, in afternoon trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

Credit AP via Yahoo News

"Oh wow Apple sells more overpriced hardware... big surprise. Check out the Brand new; "gotta own one if I just have too much money and don't know where to blow it on" "iPod HiFi"" Hahaha... you rock Joe. I fully agree with you.

See, this is just Apple trying to steal Microsoft's thunder from MediaCenter, which doesn't even get that much coverage compaired to other stupid crap out there. And if you want something that can play music over your home network... just f*ckin' go out and buy a music server from Linksys or other companies for much cheaper... or, better yet, go find an old PC (or Mac even) and put it on your wi-fi network and use that to server your music up.

Again, nice comments Joe.