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AirPort Routers Ranked Highest in Customer Satisfaction as Apple Halts Further Development
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Well, there IS such a thing... something that people flock to in droves, but just doesn't provide the desired margins.
This is pretty sad. Look at all the products GE, panasonic, Mitsubishi etc manufacture -- especially GE. And Apple cant even find the resources for a wireless router to tie together their extreme push for wireless connectivity. The reason I use Home Kit compatible devices, AirPlay etc is because of the ease of setup.
Hope as other have stated that this is a shift to make a more complex "wireless hub", but as it stands the incentive to stay in the Apple ecosystem is diminishing quick.
Last year I bought an android tablet because they are a better value for what I use it for (reading, email, netflix, web, FB etc). This month I bought a firestick to use on a second TV because it's a better value than the ATv4. Now I am looking at a Windows laptop to run Lightroom on after the ho hum macbook pro release. The fragmentation continues, and Apple just seems to want it.
My guess is by 2020 Apple Computer will be the Apple Smartphone Company.
Hope as other have stated that this is a shift to make a more complex "wireless hub", but as it stands the incentive to stay in the Apple ecosystem is diminishing quick.
Last year I bought an android tablet because they are a better value for what I use it for (reading, email, netflix, web, FB etc). This month I bought a firestick to use on a second TV because it's a better value than the ATv4. Now I am looking at a Windows laptop to run Lightroom on after the ho hum macbook pro release. The fragmentation continues, and Apple just seems to want it.
My guess is by 2020 Apple Computer will be the Apple Smartphone Company.
Difference between Tim Cook and a box of rocks...
Tim has a meat wrapping.
Tim has a meat wrapping.
I don't know, this is one of those products where if you are going to buy an Apple branded network router, you are already drinking the cool-aid. Honestly I can't see Apple's having a lot of stake in this market these days, so if they are removing them its most likely they are not making any money off them.
Tim's Office
Phil: Tim, we have just won #1 with the AirPort
Tim: AirPort? I forgot about that. Is it still a thing?
Eddy: NO PHIL...NOOOOOOO! STOP TALKING! STOP TALKING!
Phil: ....ya, Tim. It is still a thing.
Tim: Hmmm I don't think we should keep this product around...
Eddy: DAMN IT, PHIL! He's going to do his robotic product killing dance!!! I like AirPort!!!!
Tim: ....ya....it doesn't use bands....can't have a custom face....can't really make it out of gold....doesn't support diversity. Yup, let's kill it.
Phil: Okay? I'm not really sure that is a good...
Tim: KILL IT! (doing his robotic Lost In Space crazy dance)
Eddy: Phil we're not heartbeat friends anymore. AirPort is the last straw.
Phil: Where are you going, Eddy?
Eddy: To burn this place to the ground.
Phil: I think DIVERSITRON over here is doing that just fine on his own.
Phil: Tim, we have just won #1 with the AirPort
Tim: AirPort? I forgot about that. Is it still a thing?
Eddy: NO PHIL...NOOOOOOO! STOP TALKING! STOP TALKING!
Phil: ....ya, Tim. It is still a thing.
Tim: Hmmm I don't think we should keep this product around...
Eddy: DAMN IT, PHIL! He's going to do his robotic product killing dance!!! I like AirPort!!!!
Tim: ....ya....it doesn't use bands....can't have a custom face....can't really make it out of gold....doesn't support diversity. Yup, let's kill it.
Phil: Okay? I'm not really sure that is a good...
Tim: KILL IT! (doing his robotic Lost In Space crazy dance)
Eddy: Phil we're not heartbeat friends anymore. AirPort is the last straw.
Phil: Where are you going, Eddy?
Eddy: To burn this place to the ground.
Phil: I think DIVERSITRON over here is doing that just fine on his own.
Hold the phone! Can't Apple continue to make their current routers without any further development for a time?
Just asking..if Jd power says they're still one of the best, why not wing it like they are doing with the rest of the mac line?
Just asking..if Jd power says they're still one of the best, why not wing it like they are doing with the rest of the mac line?
I lament that fact every so often.... I hate modern printers and loved the 90s Apple printers.
Apple should be gaining market share on peripherals and create an excellent ecosystem again.
Actually, I find having to configure routers via web browsers to be clunky. I guess I am used to the Apple way. When I configure an Airport Extreme/Express, I don't have to "think" how to access it (is it 198.162.1.1 or 198.162.100.1, what's the default SSID and passphrase, is using ethernet going to be easier?). The Airport utility automatically detects a new airport, and I'm on my way configuring it.
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Well, I think do. In the consumer space, there's no faster wireless standard being finalized yet. The fastest is 802.11ac, and the latest Airport Extreme supports it. It's not like Apple going to halt the sales of the routers tomorrow.
Ubiquiti Networks are the best on the market priced in the same range, and considered prosumer. If Apple is going to push or recommend another company from here, my money is on them.
Agree, but for the wireless home (HomeKit) to take off Apple needs to be very careful of tech hurdles people are not willing to dive in because of a learning curve. Sometimes they have to provide a product at a small margin to allow others to access a wide array of new products.
It's too bad, but I agree. I have started to prepare to divest from the ecosystem. As much as I like my iPhone, I kind of want to go to a Pixel just to "stick it to them".
802.11ad is finalized, 7 Gbps throughput. ay is not far out with 100 Gbps. The issue holding all of this back is likely that more and more wireless clients are phones and tablets or other battery powered devices - so efficiency is probably a hurdle.
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There really is no telling where this is going, all we know is that Apple won't be the ones developing them. Similar to their monitors, they may have another brand in mind to get behind.
I have yet to see 802.11ad consumer devices, be it a laptop or whatnot. Apple always released new routers to match new wireless tech on their products. 802.11ac router was released alongside 802.11ac equipped Macs. So we will see new routers (or who Apple would partner with) when we have 802.11ad Macs.
Time for Tim Cook to RESIGN.
He simply doesn't have the tech knowledge, or the business sense to run the company.
Other blunders, is the unbelievable ultra slow roll out of computer product updates.
He's losing money for Apple by being cheap with development.
Your use case seems to be different than a lot of Mac users I know. Myself, for example: I initially bought the iPad because it was the best tablet. But having iMessage/SMS and phone calls synced across my Macs, iPhone, and iPad have kept me solidly in the Mac/iDevice camp for my main hardware (Airplay is also a killer feature for me.)
I'm largely platform-agnostic, however. I have a Windows 7-based HTPC (as well as an AppleTV, and Fire Stick that hasn't seen use since new) and a Windows 10 gaming PC that I use for Lightroom (simply because it's got the largest monitor in the house - I haven't noticed any difference between the way Lightroom runs on my i5 Mac vs my i7 PC), as well as several other scattered and less-used Windows PCs. I also have a Samsung Galaxy S5 and an Android car stereo to play with Android to keep up with the latest in Android offerings (I'm quickly reminded why I prefer iOS for most things.)
If I had to pare down my machines, though, I'd keep an Apple environment because of the seamlessness of it. You seem to choose your devices based on price, which is fine, but the time and hassle that keeping an Apple environment saves me is worth it to me.
802.11ad routers were revealed last January at CES. Like I said, I'm guessing it's a problem with efficiency. These use the 60 GHz frequency so require different radios. Also, I had 802.11ac routers quite a while before the first Macs had them.
Highest in customer satisfaction, especially among Apple customers who wish to remain in the ecosystem.
Business Plan: Ignore further development of for three years and then blithely discontinue—to focus on emojis, no doubt.
There is nothing here that proves what you're saying, in fact, there isn't any proof they are leaving the router business yet either. Just not developing in house.
I think this is a bad move from Apple.
One of the reasons Apple products are so likeable, is because their products work so well toghether.
The AirPort extreme contributed to that by delivering a good router and the Time Capsule even more by automating backups and such.
They should continue to build these kinds of products to make the other products, like the mac and the iPhone even more appealing.
One of the reasons Apple products are so likeable, is because their products work so well toghether.
The AirPort extreme contributed to that by delivering a good router and the Time Capsule even more by automating backups and such.
They should continue to build these kinds of products to make the other products, like the mac and the iPhone even more appealing.
Did you somehow come to the conclusion that coverage and performance don't contribute to satisfaction? Additionally, I think a lot of AirPort customers value stability after coming from routers of other brands that required frequent power cycles.
Ubiquiti has severe software QA issues. I switched from AirPort to Ubiquiti gear thinking the same thing you did here. Every firmware update since I purchased has resulted in a worse product. They fix a bug, break something unreleated, and regress on a bug they previously fixed two firmware versions ago. Repeat that once a month or so. There's currently two huge outstanding issues: one severely limiting wireless throughput at a specific AP, and another where a single device (typically an Apple device) can access local network resources wirelessly but is cut off from the wider Internet.
Their hardware is great but their software house is not in order.