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Apple Ceases Development of 'AirPort' Wireless Routers as Engineers Reassigned to Other Products

but the whole point of Apple was that it was an integrated solution that "just worked" and why SJ was successful - now it's just an awful mess like Micro$oft
 
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apolloa said:
Apples Airport units are VERY outdated, it does t have the latest fastest speeds or MU MIMO yet they cost as much as other high end routers, and it IS a joke and DOES affect my use of it, because when my current TimeCapsule packs up, I doubt Apple will be selling a replacement. It's another great idea that worked well being dumped by Apple and defended by its loyalists...
And iOS 10 is a joke, on my iPad Pro when I click on the page numbers on this forum to jump to a page the keyboard pops up then disappears..... it's a total buggy mess!!! Oh perhaps I should wipe and reformat all my iOS devices, and then maybe again after the next update, and the one after that because that's the experience I'm paying thousands for....
Click to expand...

Unless you quite literally cannot do your work using your current Time Capsule, Apple's apparent decision to stop producing the Airport has ZERO effect on you...today. Sure, it may not be as fast as the latest high speed routers, but that doesn't mean it doesn't work. Maybe, and it is a big maybe, transferring files will take a few seconds longer, maybe even a few minutes, but that is an inconvenience and nothing more.
 
Risco said:
So what happens to Time Capsule, this is a vital backup and the fact it works seamlessly is the reason I own one. Does it mean third party time capsules?
Click to expand...

Apple thinks you'll use iCloud.

They live in a world of uncapped gigabit internet, uncontested wifi, a strange dichotomy of away from plugs for computers and close to them for headphones, completely trusted third-party cloud storage (ignore the legal disclaimer), and no hackers.
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tf_dc said:
Some people in this thread keep writing "there are many good wireless routers on the market". True, there are. Which of them are getting regular software/security updates for at least three years after the release and are not killed by them dead like it sometimes happens to Asus? Which of these routers are available outside US, not like Eero and Amplifi mentioned by some here?
Click to expand...

And which ones don't require uploading all your usage and management information to a third-party cloud service of unknown security and reliability.

I really liked Eero, until that.....
 
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JOLoughlin said:
ugh… wtf?
Mac Pro/Mini - Dead
Cinema Display - Dead
AirPort Extreme/Time Capsule - Dead
Apple Pro users - ???
Click to expand...

Pro users buying mac pros 2010 like crazy, thinking about hackintoshes,
buying ugly HP and now LG displays,
already using UniFi,
and that's the end of a story that started with investments in xserve g5s, xserve raids, xsans etc.

I somehow understand leaving real "PRO" world.
But consumer things like mac minis, airport, even mac pros? USB-C dongle for everything??

MAGSAFE????

3u.jpg
 
indychris said:
I'm loathing Apple at the moment, but I can't say this surprises me in the least. I've used Airport base stations exclusively for years. In my experience they are the easiest to set up, and the most stable to run, of any networking device I've used. I have them installed at home, my office, Indianapolis and Central America, and I never have a problem with them.

But let's face it: this is simply another step in Apple establishing what they think people should want/need. The Time Capsule, as helpful and useful as it is, doesn't fit with Cook's 'bleed them like a turnip' corporate mentality. We're only customers, not stockholders worth millions. As long as we'll continue to pay monthly subscription fees for everything, including music and iCloud backups, why in the world would they shoot themselves in the foot by offering a reliable piece of equipment that doesn't bring in guaranteed monthly income to Cupertino.

Seems like nearly every move Apple makes pushes me closer to the door.

I am a camel, and someday there will be that one straw...
Click to expand...
Apple used to be a company that people used their product because they felt it was great. These days they have become more like Microsoft, where most people use their product begrudgingly, because they don't have much of a choice. This is certainly my own situation. I use both Microsoft, Apple, and Google products, but I despise all three companies. All of them have shown despicable attitudes to their end users, treating them with utter contempt.
 
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Apple are seriously losing the plot. The Aurport Extrene is the best router I've ever owned.

If they kill the Mac Pro as well because they actually believe a 16GB laptop is a professional machine, then I'll have to go back to using a typewriter.

Are these people living on the same planet as the rest of us?
 
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Abazigal said:
And when Apple does update a product, people also complain as well!
Click to expand...
Probably because Apple's "updates" have been downgrades by neutering the product and welding everything to the logic board. It's not really an "update" when the previous generation is actually better in certain ways. No, making something .005mm thinner and an ounce lighter doesn't make a product better when you sacrifice functionality.
 
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McDonkel said:
On the one hand, everybody freaks out when Apple loses it's focus and spreads its product line too thin.

Then when they streamline by eliminating fringe products, we freak out also.

Airport started when WiFi was brand new. Apple developed reference designs that set the bar for quality, to make sure WiFi was a good, usable experience. It was important to sell their core products.

Nowadays, good routers are a dime a dozen, and some (like Eero) are REALLY good. Better than Airport. Even the one that comes with my internet service is fine - it's what I use at home without issue.

Apple doesn't need to set a standard for quality for WiFi any more. There are lots of good options, almost all of which work perfectly with iOS and macOS. Apple doesn't need to be in this industry any more.

I'm happy to see they are staying focused. I get that people liked these routers - they were good. But your laptop/phone/tablet will work with an Eero just as well as with an Airport Extreme. To swear off Apple because of a router... is just dumb.
Click to expand...

You can't buy Eero outside of the US.
 
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Phoenixx said:
Apple used to be a company that people used their product because they felt it was great. These days they have become more like Microsoft, where most people use their product begrudgingly, because they don't have much of a choice. This is certainly my own situation. I use both Microsoft, Apple, and Google products, but I despise all three companies. All of them have shown despicable attitudes to their end users, treating them with utter contempt.
Click to expand...

Isn't that going a bit far to say Apple has a despicable attitude toward their end users, because they may not continue to produce a particular networking product? You can buy an iPhone, rMBP, iPad or iMac, setup an account through iTunes and not pay Apple anything more than the cost of the hardware. Of course, if you want streaming music or large cloud storage amounts, Apple is more than happy to provide those to you, at a cost.

Apple will even provide free updates to software and operating systems. People use Apple product and buy into the whole ecosystem, because Apple makes it easy. That's why people use Apple products and services.

Google provides hardware (at a cost) and software and OS for "free" also, but it's not really free because they're taking something (your digital life) from you in order to offer you something. Microsoft taught Apple and Google just how great it can be to have recurring subscriptions...for them. They're now trying to play catch up to Apple and Google's free offerings, but it's tough when people won't pay for things they can get for free from others - even if they're not as robust.
 
Mike_313 said:
True mobility means backups even when you are away from home. And there comes iCloud. On iOS they have iCloud backups already in place. I bet more sooner than later apple will introduce iCloud backups for Macs.
Click to expand...

They'll need to lower the pricing on iCloud storage substantially if they're really serious about storing Mac backups in the cloud.
 
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Very disappointed to hear this. I understand it doesn't make them a pile of cash. But I am happy to pay a premium for things that "just work" and don't give me headaches. That router from years ago has been absolutely bulletproof. Thats what I want. Thats why I buy it. And I would buy another in a heartbeat when I need to. Cheap poorly designed electronics suck in the long game. Adults who don't find value in tinkering with garbage will pay for quality equipment. Its not an apple tax. Its a realization that great thought has been engineered into something for reliability and simplicity.
 
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I honestly don't get it. Apple has the best rock solid router on ther market. I have two Airpoet Extremes in two homes that haver "never" needed reseting. In the old days I would hear "dad the Internet is not working" and I would power off reset my Cisco router. Apple is running without a cpmpass now. I have to put the blame on Tim.
 
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Mike_313 said:
I bet more sooner than later apple will introduce iCloud backups for Macs.
Click to expand...

Um, Optimized Storage, anyone? iCloud Photo Library? Desktop and Documents in iCloud Drive? How dumb does Apple have to be to offer these features and then discontinue the product which bridges its hardware to them?
 
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indychris said:
I'm loathing Apple at the moment, but I can't say this surprises me in the least. I've used Airport base stations exclusively for years. In my experience they are the easiest to set up, and the most stable to run, of any networking device I've used. I have them installed at home, my office, Indianapolis and Central America, and I never have a problem with them.

But let's face it: this is simply another step in Apple establishing what they think people should want/need. The Time Capsule, as helpful and useful as it is, doesn't fit with Cook's 'bleed them like a turnip' corporate mentality. We're only customers, not stockholders worth millions. As long as we'll continue to pay monthly subscription fees for everything, including music and iCloud backups, why in the world would they shoot themselves in the foot by offering a reliable piece of equipment that doesn't bring in guaranteed monthly income to Cupertino.

Seems like nearly every move Apple makes pushes me closer to the door.

I am a camel, and someday there will be that one straw...
Click to expand...

The thing to remember is that you absolutely do NOT need a Time Capsule in order to do Time Machine backups. You can run Time Machine on any hard drive on your network (using AFP networked). You don't need to pay Apple a recurring fee for it. And my guess is that if Apple does indeed stop producing and selling Airport product, they'll work to make it easier to do Time Machine setups with non-Apple product.
 
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Wow. What an amazingly short-sighted decision. Of course, as long as there are more emoji everything will be fine.
 
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I use to use an AirPort Extreme as my main router, but when they pulled Windows support as well as most of my systems were windows and 2 mac's, I refused to buy their routers anymore. Apple seem to be in the habit of removing features for every interation.
 
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