According to Apple Insider, Apple has begun shipping its new 802.11n-capable AirPort Extreme wireless router to customers, and will soon have the devices available for purchase in the company’s retail stores.

While some may get their orders sooner, the online Apple Store still lists scheduled shipping times of around mid-month.

As the AirPort Extreme arrives, the new Apple TV won’t be far behind. New advertising materials are slated to appear in stores by February 19. Actual product should follow later that same week.

The new AirPort Extreme has received much praise since its quiet update earlier in January at Macworld Expo in San Francisco. The 802.11n technology (promising 5× the speed) and the AirDisk feature, allowing one or more USB hard disks to be shared over the wireless network irrespective of platform, have been the biggest selling points.

Others, though, are disappointed that Apple has offered a $1.99 802.11n Enabler for customers who have capable systems, but will not be purchasing the new router. (The Enabler is included free with the new AirPort Extreme.)

If you’re planning on using your current 802.11n capable, draft-spec router, make sure your Mac isn’t already enabled before you drop two bucks. (Some newer systems have shipped with the technology turned on.) You can view this by launching Network Utility in your Utilities folder, and then choosing Network Interface (en1) from the pulldown menu. The system will show your model as Wireless Network Adapter (802.11 a/b/g/n) if it is already enabled.

And, as a note, the Apple TV is 802.11n capable, which should help improve performance when streaming content via a wireless network.