Obviously the IC capabilities are different and the impedance matching
techniques are too but basically it seems pretty simple circuit wise?
Hardest part being the antenna(After all, thats really all there is).

So, for the most part I can be pretty ignorant about all the special
transmission techniques and concepts(QAM, SSB, ISM, etc...) and still do
wireless very easy using these IC's? As long as I get the antenna
approximately right and hook up a uC/P then I should be able to do some
wireless(may be degraded but...)? Seems like it from what I've read in the
datasheets.

Guess I'm just supprised that it would be that easy but I suppose the IC
pretty much takes care of everything? (as far as just bit banging is
concerned)

And others.  The RF IC, which was once a dream, is now here and making
advances that were once limited to digital ICs.

The antenna is often a PCB design, such as a patch device.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patch_antenna

It's never that easy.  RF is still magic.  RF is still heavily regulated.