That's a dumb idea, most people's internet gateway isn't near their TVs.
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Apple Ceases Development of 'AirPort' Wireless Routers as Engineers Reassigned to Other Products
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That's a dumb idea, most people's internet gateway isn't near their TVs.
Just to be clear, I never jumped on this internet hate bandwagon and I don't care about the removal of the headphone jack, the SD card slot, USB-A ports, or the mag-safe connector.
But the discontinuation of their display line and now the Airport products is depressing to me. Both are quality product lines that will sadly be missed. I don't look forward to replacing my gorgeous Airport Time Capsule when it finally decides to give out one day.
But the discontinuation of their display line and now the Airport products is depressing to me. Both are quality product lines that will sadly be missed. I don't look forward to replacing my gorgeous Airport Time Capsule when it finally decides to give out one day.
Don't do that. Apple is known to remove hardware support from their software at their whim. New Airport Utility does not support the older AE, just because. That was one shocker that I got one fine day that if you upgrade the OS, you get brand new Airport Utility bundled in which will not recognise and work with your old AE.
So, while you may get a new AE today, 2 years down the line you might not have software support for it if they decide to cull the Airport series.
Oh my yes, I'm not a maths person and I worked it out using my head whilst on my phone (for fear that loading up the calc app would reload the page!).I think you need to re-check your calculations.
But still it's something I recently picked up on regarding longterm figures, like that bit in Fight Club with the car recall cost.
Whaaat???
I understand why they shut down their display business (though I'm not happy with it) because apart from design, they couldn't really make a difference in the display business.
But the AirPort, and especially the Time Capsule, really made a difference. I've never had a backup system that worked more smoothly and without any maintenance at all than my Time Capsule.
Sad day. Again.
Hang it up next to MagSafe mate... clever innovative designs being dumped by a greedy directionalist board.
You're in an Apple-centric forum. Most people on this board are probably going to have an Apple router -- which is obviously not indicative of the average user. I have four AirPort Extremes. Only two are currently in service as the other two are the older, pizza box models.
That said, I wish Apple had continued to push the ball forward in terms of their routers. There were so many things they could've done -- QoS, parental controls, etc. -- that would've added real value to the products. Since they didn't eliminate the engineers from the company entirely, I'm hopeful that Apple may incorporate the router technology into another device in the future -- Apple TV, perhaps? We'll have to wait and see.
In the meantime, I've been investigating alternatives if/when my current setup is no longer viable. It looks like Eero is attempting to copy the Apple model with their product -- and they're also copying the price points!
Hopefully, my AirPort Extremes will continue to serve me well for the next several years. Funny, I've said that about a lot of Apple tech lately -- my MacBook Pro, my iPhone 6, and now my AirPort Extremes. These are decisions I'm making that will ultimately not give Apple more of what they want -- my money.
Maybe the new apple home device with router functionality is closer than we all thought.
plus of course...
backlit logo - dead
startup chime - dead(ish)
charging indicator - dead
sleeping pulse indicator - dead
new finder logo - childish
turquoise folders - hideous
however...
Cook and co. - clueless
profit - alive and kicking
Pretty sure TC is actually an MS mole out to do what Balmer couldn't
They'll all cash their shares in and not care one bit about the lifelong loyal Mac users
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Echo has already won in my house. I bought an Echo and a Dot which I hooked up to my stereo system. I mainly just use it for music and my morning alarm, but it works great. Truly a game changing device.
As for the engineers:
Since "none of the devices have seen a refresh since 2013." I kind of wonder what those engineers have been doing for the last three years? How can there be any to redeploy at this point?
Hopefully Eros or some other manufacturer is around making a good looking wifi system when I next need to buy one of these things. But without Apple setting a high bar, I'm not sure there will be.
My old house had in-ceiling speakers powered by a pair of multi-channel Rotel power amps using 5 Airport Expresses as the sources. We sold that house and the kit and have been renting for a couple of years but are planning to buy in the next 12 months, so maybe it's time to grab a couple of Airport Expresses before they are gone for good!?!?!
Any coincidence that Apple just got cozy with Sonos and now they're dropping some of their streaming audio tech?
Any coincidence that Apple just got cozy with Sonos and now they're dropping some of their streaming audio tech?
Other products? Like the watch band? Apple has no other products anymore.
Time capsule is already supported by many devices (e.g. synology.com - their router and their NAS's support it).
If your broadband provider can remotely access your router to makes changes to it (when you have service problems), then, yes, it is the same.
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Yep, learning me some Android code…
OMG! Seriously? This is the type of move a company makes when they are hurting for revenue and the product line is costing them money. How much money does Apple have in the bank?
Quick Tim, what other lines aren't getting you 40% margins and selling in low quantities?
Bye bye Mac Mini.
You certainly wouldn't want to offer the less wealthy, out in the great unwashed, a more affordable product.
Bye to another great product sacrificed on the altar of the bean counters.
Unbelievable
Quick Tim, what other lines aren't getting you 40% margins and selling in low quantities?
Bye bye Mac Mini.
You certainly wouldn't want to offer the less wealthy, out in the great unwashed, a more affordable product.
Bye to another great product sacrificed on the altar of the bean counters.
Unbelievable
USB C is actually an improvement in the long run. I know you loved magsafe (so did I), but it was proprietary and ONLY useful for your Apple laptop. Imagine now universal USB C connectors everywhere and the ability to charge both a phone or computer from a single cord. Apple's mistake is leaving the iPhone on their proprietary lightening connector; they should have moved it over to USB C to make it one cord and one connection for everything.
I think two things are in play:
1) As many folks have commented, the router/time capsule function is likely to be rolled into an all-in-one device that serves as a "home" device. Whether that also includes Apple TV or not, I am not sure. If I were Apple I probably would roll in Apple TV into a home/router/time capsule device, if for no other reason you are likely to expand Apple TV uptake. The downside is that the price will likely be high e.g. $400 or around there.
2) Router security may be a significant factor at play. Perhaps Apple will not heed to secret mandates for back-door access to their routers and will just shut it down lavabit style rather than acquiesce.
I don't think this is as big of an issue as you're suggesting. There are a lot of people who simply use the wifi router built into the cable modem they get from their provider.
It is also one of those products that doesn't drive yearly upgrades, like the iPhone does. I've had my Time Capsule since 2009 - and although it's been updated by Apple several times, I've seen no reason to upgrade, because it works fine for what I need it for.
And you don't need an Apple branded router to connect to the internet, or even to drive a Time Capsule backup - both can be done using other vendor's products. The one thing I have liked about the Apple Airport product is the units themselves can disappear visually into the background. I've even gone a step further, wrapping mine with thin wood veneer, so they really disappear into the background.
But even here, several of the new mesh wifi routers are more Apple-like in design, making them so that they can sit out and not look like an ugly piece of technology.
Loved your comment. You hit the nail on the head with the reliability and smart ecosystem comment.
Shame that every single item is about individual profit, and user experience is failing behind. Shame because this element that may not be that profitable, but it enhances the overall experience in the Apple Ecosystem. Maybe this is why Apple has been pushing Dongles and watch bands, because of there margins are high!
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This is really sad. I echo what others have said in this thread. Having a strong ecosystem is crucial, brand loyalty is important, it shouldn't just be about the bottom line. Apple has lost its visionary. In effort to "focus", they've lost focus.
Discontinuing pro-level products, focusing on consumer-level iDevices. Once these users mature, and found themselves in need of more powerful products, who would they turn to? Certainly not Apple, based on how things are progressing.
Good luck with that watch.
Discontinuing pro-level products, focusing on consumer-level iDevices. Once these users mature, and found themselves in need of more powerful products, who would they turn to? Certainly not Apple, based on how things are progressing.
Good luck with that watch.
