Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi, also known as Wireless Fidelity, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point (or hotspot) has a range of about 20 meters (65 ft.) indoors and a greater range of about 45 meters (150 ft.) outdoors. Multiple overlapping access points can cover large areas.

Description
A Wi-Fi enabled device such as a PC, video game console, mobile phone, MP3 player or PDA can connect to the Internet when within range of a wireless network connected to the Internet. The coverage of one or more interconnected access points — called a hotspot — can comprise an area as small as a single room with wireless-opaque walls or as large as many square miles covered by overlapping access points. "Wi-Fi" is a trademark of the and the brand name for products using the IEEE 802.11 family of standards. Wi-Fi is used by over 700 million people. There are over four million hotspots (places with Wi-Fi Internet connectivity) around the world, and about 800 million new Wi-Fi devices are sold every year. Wi-Fi products that complete Wi-Fi Alliance interoperability certification testing successfully may use the "Wi-Fi CERTIFIED" designation and trademark.

History
Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs met with executives from on April 20, 1998 to discuss their technology tentatively named Wireless LAN. Jobs asked them to design a radio card for 50 so that Apple could market it as an AirPort card for $99. It was introduced by Jobs on July 21, 1999 at Macworld Expo New York as an option for the iBook G3, which became the world's first Wi-Fi enabled laptop.