And yet I got firmware updates today for the Extreme, a 5G Express and one of the older Expresses.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Ceases Development of 'AirPort' Wireless Routers as Engineers Reassigned to Other Products
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Everyone should calm down. Apple moved their AirPort engineers elsewhere within the company - they didn't get rid of them all.
This could mean they're planning to integrate WiFi routing technology into other devices. Maybe some kind of HomeKit hub, like an updated Apple TV.
There's all this talk about Apple trying to come out with some kind of Amazon-Echo-like device. Maybe Apple intends to revolutionize the boring wifi router ecosystem with a completely new, all-in-one wireless hub?
Apple helped pioneer WiFi standards and bring it into homes in the first place. I seriously doubt they're completely abandoning it now.
This could mean they're planning to integrate WiFi routing technology into other devices. Maybe some kind of HomeKit hub, like an updated Apple TV.
There's all this talk about Apple trying to come out with some kind of Amazon-Echo-like device. Maybe Apple intends to revolutionize the boring wifi router ecosystem with a completely new, all-in-one wireless hub?
Apple helped pioneer WiFi standards and bring it into homes in the first place. I seriously doubt they're completely abandoning it now.
I think we have to judge from recent silence from the router division that after 2012 they didn't release new products (we don't know why). It might be that the division just wasn't able to produce anything competitive, maybe at the market rates. So, instead of spending workforce on something that wasn't competitive enough, they had to shift resources somewhere else, maybe an integrated AppleTv+WiFi type solution, or just concentrate on AppleTV. I remember that Apple was preparing a Siri built-in home hub solution, which will be responsible for home networks, energy management, sensor management, security and generally everything that could be connected using HomeKit.
After a disappointing few years. 2016 was the end of a fifteen year relationship. I sat down and thought what I would say to Tim Cook if we ever met. Suddenly I found myself typing out my thoughts which evolved into an email referenced below. I know Tim Cook will never read it, nonetheless it was fifteen years of my life, work and otherwise, that seemed it was necessary for me to send. As I referenced this very thread, I thought I'd share it with you as well.
Times are definitely changing, for better or for worse. Hope everyone is having a great night (or morning)!
Times are definitely changing, for better or for worse. Hope everyone is having a great night (or morning)!
They'd better do it very quickly then, because Amazon's Echo (with Alexa) is rapidly devouring that market space. And, as much as it pains me to say so, deservedly so. Amazon got voice-controlled AI right, and makes Siri look dated and failing - sorry, dear, age takes it's toll
I can't tell you how many times I cursed Siri for completely misinterpreting my instructions - only to have it promptly misinterpret my cursing and do something else I didn't want - like starting a FaceTime call with my neighbor Kyle when I called it an effing piece of crap. Still funny every time I think about it (no offense, Kyle), but very sad at the same time.
Truth be told, I no longer bother with Siri at this point... it's become more efficient NOT to use it.
So, I'd gladly support such a universal hub (though not without moaning about the fact that I just replaced both my Apple TVs for the new models this year), but it would have to work well and it needs to be soon or face impenetrable market dominance by Amazon.
The prevalence of iOS devices dictates that Apple should rapidly and aggressively pursue such a device (or line of devices), but I'm not sure what they're thinking these days.
100% agree with you. I was just speaking to someone else today about the failings of Siri, and how Google Now, Alexa, and even Cortana (despite the horrid name) are bounds better than Apple's digital assistant. Apple, Inc. had so much potential, and despite their interviews about machine learning being expanded within Siri, the system, as a whole, is, arguably, in last place in the race to ship the most comprehensive assistant.
Overall, due to Apple's current lack of 'usual' innovation (you know what I mean; watch bands, and touch bars, are nothing compared to when the Retina display first appeared, or the R2-D2 Mac Pro, or iPad), I postulated that either 1) Apple has something seriously Earth-shattering in store (on par with the disruption caused by iPhone), prompting them to pull resources from other projects, or 2) they are "stuck inside an echo chamber" (as another MacRumors commenter stated more eloquently than I could have), preventing them from continuing to be competitive.
While I hope it's the former, I suspect it's the latter, and that Apple are content dictating their own terms.
Never had a single problem with mine. In fact the CC2 worked so well, I just got the the 4k one. Again, works perfectly fine and fast too.
Yes, why not. Discontinuing Aperture was a bad move, I guess, they still should have it (like GarageBand and iMovie with Final Cut Pro and Logic X).
Pro Macs and mini Macs are a joke (each in its own). You basically can't get a normal desktop from Apple anymore
(and I don't need displays with outdated graphic cards).
Macbooks pro 2016 that can't connect to iPhone 7 2016. A great joke of connectivity.
Discontinuing Macbook air 11 inch - while it was a great entry notebook, which only needed a display refresh. A great joke in terms of market penetration. Forcing to move to more expensive Macbook, with just one port.
Eliminating iPhone SE (as it seems). Another great joke for market penetration.
Getting rid of AppleTV 3rd generation. Which was at 69$ a perfect answer to Chromecast.
Eliminating 3.5mm jack to force a move to wireless (more expensive) Beats. Joke for market penetration.
Making 99 dollars pencils which can't draw on latest Macs (desktops and notebooks alike).
Man, i spent a fortune on Apple devices but there are limits to patience. I am not a cash cow.
Instead of using cheaper Macbooks Air, SE and making cheaper Mac minis to enhance the Mac/Apple ecosystem, just the heavy handed money gouging from remaining users.
Everything is done to eliminate cheaper solutions making users to move up cost line, to force them to buy more expensive models like the Macbook pro 13. A typical accounting behind the strategy, while the strategy should be put first.
It needs to be said that it was the strategy which moved Apple to No1 in capitalization, not accounting. Because market believed that Apple does have superior solutions. Now they have only more expensive solutions. Do they have any strategy now?
It seems that they put everything in iPhone basket. Then why the iPhone has same design for years? it is to cut the production costs - the new design is something they are too lazy to do - that applies to desktop and basically everything they now make.
Spending bilions on completely unneeded AppleCar and then firing engineers by hundreds. Do they have a strategy? Really? Did they also spend billions on TV?
Investing a billion into a taxi company? really?
I also don't want to see Cook singing karaoke in taxi. Please, concentrate on work.
I also don't want any autobiography movies from Dr.Dre or even Ive. No, I am not interested.
I also don't want to hear that USB-A should be dropped in Macbook Pros because.......iPhone 7 ships with USB-A power cable. How's that?
I also don't want the new Sierra option that any app which is not from Mac App Store (where they pay the Apple tax), is viewed as a potential threat to Macs. Really? Wasn't it the way the software was sold, before the App Store and its tax?
Getting rid of the hardware ecosystem: displays, routers. What then to replace them? LG and Asus? Maybe we can finally put the whole Mac ecosystem to rest? Cause what you gonna to link to that LG display? A mac pro which is expensive as hell and didn't have any refresh in years, or Mac mini which still uses the cheapest and slowest hard drive one can find on garage sale? with the same outdated graphic card (or even without any discrete graphics at all).
The whole executive team got lazy and fat. All they care about is just how to cash their options, thats why do everything possible to increase margins and artificially increase stock price, all for their only benefit, in the process spending billions of dollars on stock buybacks, instead of
1. Finally releasing a home hub for Homekit
2. Finally releasing normal desktops
3. Finally releasing and updating the budget notebook line (MBA)
4. Making sure that iPads are price competitive (instead of creating more and more expensive units no one wants to buy)
5. Finally releasing software for photo pros
6. Finally releasing iCloud that can sync as fast as dropbox
7. Finally releasing iPad Pro software support in iOS (there is no difference between iPad Pro and iPad at all). My iPad Pro even doesn't have that 3D touch.
8. Finally releasing AppleTV remote that doesn't interrupt watching movies because everytime you want to push something on it, you push the search button in the middle of remote which interrupts everything..
and so on..
Pro Macs and mini Macs are a joke (each in its own). You basically can't get a normal desktop from Apple anymore
(and I don't need displays with outdated graphic cards).
Macbooks pro 2016 that can't connect to iPhone 7 2016. A great joke of connectivity.
Discontinuing Macbook air 11 inch - while it was a great entry notebook, which only needed a display refresh. A great joke in terms of market penetration. Forcing to move to more expensive Macbook, with just one port.
Eliminating iPhone SE (as it seems). Another great joke for market penetration.
Getting rid of AppleTV 3rd generation. Which was at 69$ a perfect answer to Chromecast.
Eliminating 3.5mm jack to force a move to wireless (more expensive) Beats. Joke for market penetration.
Making 99 dollars pencils which can't draw on latest Macs (desktops and notebooks alike).
Man, i spent a fortune on Apple devices but there are limits to patience. I am not a cash cow.
Instead of using cheaper Macbooks Air, SE and making cheaper Mac minis to enhance the Mac/Apple ecosystem, just the heavy handed money gouging from remaining users.
Everything is done to eliminate cheaper solutions making users to move up cost line, to force them to buy more expensive models like the Macbook pro 13. A typical accounting behind the strategy, while the strategy should be put first.
It needs to be said that it was the strategy which moved Apple to No1 in capitalization, not accounting. Because market believed that Apple does have superior solutions. Now they have only more expensive solutions. Do they have any strategy now?
It seems that they put everything in iPhone basket. Then why the iPhone has same design for years? it is to cut the production costs - the new design is something they are too lazy to do - that applies to desktop and basically everything they now make.
Spending bilions on completely unneeded AppleCar and then firing engineers by hundreds. Do they have a strategy? Really? Did they also spend billions on TV?
Investing a billion into a taxi company? really?
I also don't want to see Cook singing karaoke in taxi. Please, concentrate on work.
I also don't want any autobiography movies from Dr.Dre or even Ive. No, I am not interested.
I also don't want to hear that USB-A should be dropped in Macbook Pros because.......iPhone 7 ships with USB-A power cable. How's that?
I also don't want the new Sierra option that any app which is not from Mac App Store (where they pay the Apple tax), is viewed as a potential threat to Macs. Really? Wasn't it the way the software was sold, before the App Store and its tax?
Getting rid of the hardware ecosystem: displays, routers. What then to replace them? LG and Asus? Maybe we can finally put the whole Mac ecosystem to rest? Cause what you gonna to link to that LG display? A mac pro which is expensive as hell and didn't have any refresh in years, or Mac mini which still uses the cheapest and slowest hard drive one can find on garage sale? with the same outdated graphic card (or even without any discrete graphics at all).
The whole executive team got lazy and fat. All they care about is just how to cash their options, thats why do everything possible to increase margins and artificially increase stock price, all for their only benefit, in the process spending billions of dollars on stock buybacks, instead of
1. Finally releasing a home hub for Homekit
2. Finally releasing normal desktops
3. Finally releasing and updating the budget notebook line (MBA)
4. Making sure that iPads are price competitive (instead of creating more and more expensive units no one wants to buy)
5. Finally releasing software for photo pros
6. Finally releasing iCloud that can sync as fast as dropbox
7. Finally releasing iPad Pro software support in iOS (there is no difference between iPad Pro and iPad at all). My iPad Pro even doesn't have that 3D touch.
8. Finally releasing AppleTV remote that doesn't interrupt watching movies because everytime you want to push something on it, you push the search button in the middle of remote which interrupts everything..
and so on..
Last edited:
Steve Jobs said at an AllThingsD conference, "Do you know how many committees we have at Apple? Zero. We have no committees. We are organized like a startup. We are the biggest startup on the planet. We all meet for three hours once a week and we talk about everything we're doing, the all business. And there is tremendous teamwork at the top of the company which filters down the teamwork through out of the company." It seems though that now Apple is acting like a large corporation. They are making decisions based on profits/revenue and not the technology/ecosystem. This is unfortunate as the technology/ecosystem is what made them the largest company in the USA.
Apple discontinuing standalone monitors and routers is the classic large corporation bean-counter mistake. Steve knew that beautiful monitors mattered in the ecosystem. That is what people stared at for hours a day, not the computer under the desk. Even if the profits were low in monitors, the monitors provided product reinforcement in the user’s mind. In my field of work we had one large product manufacture discontinue products, which were part of their ecosystem but not as popular as the other products. We informed the client that we no longer could get the discontinued products, so we had to specify another company's entire product line. When the product manufacture came to us questioning why we were no longer specifying hundred of thousands of their top product, we had to explain to them it was due to them discontinuing the product that we specified only one hundred of. The manufacturer had a hard time understanding that a complete product line was extremely important to our clients.
One of the major reasons why people buy Apple's expensive products is because they are buying into an ecosystem that "just works". But as soon as that ecosystem dissolves, then there is less of an incentive to buy the remaining products in the ecosystem. I think the frustrating part is that Apple has the money and they aren't operating at a loss. I could see Apple shedding products if they lost money for the quarter, instead of just making a few less billions in profit in a quarter. I also know that money doesn't buy great product development, it takes time, ideas and great engineers. In the consumer electronic market, keeping products updated is very important. When Apple doesn't update products for 3+ years , they shouldn't wonder why sales have slumped.
I have been a loyal user of the mac since the 80's. I just hope that Apple knows what they are doing.
Apple discontinuing standalone monitors and routers is the classic large corporation bean-counter mistake. Steve knew that beautiful monitors mattered in the ecosystem. That is what people stared at for hours a day, not the computer under the desk. Even if the profits were low in monitors, the monitors provided product reinforcement in the user’s mind. In my field of work we had one large product manufacture discontinue products, which were part of their ecosystem but not as popular as the other products. We informed the client that we no longer could get the discontinued products, so we had to specify another company's entire product line. When the product manufacture came to us questioning why we were no longer specifying hundred of thousands of their top product, we had to explain to them it was due to them discontinuing the product that we specified only one hundred of. The manufacturer had a hard time understanding that a complete product line was extremely important to our clients.
One of the major reasons why people buy Apple's expensive products is because they are buying into an ecosystem that "just works". But as soon as that ecosystem dissolves, then there is less of an incentive to buy the remaining products in the ecosystem. I think the frustrating part is that Apple has the money and they aren't operating at a loss. I could see Apple shedding products if they lost money for the quarter, instead of just making a few less billions in profit in a quarter. I also know that money doesn't buy great product development, it takes time, ideas and great engineers. In the consumer electronic market, keeping products updated is very important. When Apple doesn't update products for 3+ years , they shouldn't wonder why sales have slumped.
I have been a loyal user of the mac since the 80's. I just hope that Apple knows what they are doing.
Let me then pose a counterpoint.
Google just released their own router, at a time when Apple is reportedly getting out of the router business.
Why? And don't just tell me it's about profits. We all know it's more than that. If people are just to focus obsessively around this idea and blind themselves to all other possible reasons, then this discussion will never get anywhere and we will simply see more of the same whining and griping.
What value does Google see in releasing a router (a heavily commoditised product) that Apple apparently doesn't? What about their respective business models and strategies causes them to see this space differently?
I feel this is something worth debating. Has anyone thought to raise such a point in 800 posts? I am not going to bother sifting through all these posts, but I think you and I both know the answer to that.
Here is a quote from Peter Cohen...the link to his article is below.
"It was before the iPhone, before the iPod, even before the iMac. Apple was on the rocks, having been beaten pretty badly in the personal computer market by Microsoft. The company was months away from running out of money and possibly shutting down or selling off to the highest bidder. Creative pros were one of the very few market segments that were even interested in Apple anymore. Apple knew that and counted on them to help keep the home fires burning."
I agree with Mr Cohen.
Apple to creative pros: Go **** yourselves
"It was before the iPhone, before the iPod, even before the iMac. Apple was on the rocks, having been beaten pretty badly in the personal computer market by Microsoft. The company was months away from running out of money and possibly shutting down or selling off to the highest bidder. Creative pros were one of the very few market segments that were even interested in Apple anymore. Apple knew that and counted on them to help keep the home fires burning."
I agree with Mr Cohen.
Apple to creative pros: Go **** yourselves
Last edited:
They aren't making a usb-c ethernet adapter, and they're pushing a Belkin one which looks suspiciously like the thunderbolt 2 ethernet adapter now.
Surely Apple is aware of this. AirPort may have been a loss for years.
Hopefully Apple has decided routers have gotten good enough and no longer threaten the mac. I disagree: Anecdotally, I found out this week I can't use SSH with back to my mac because my ISP-supplied router doesn't have UPnP or some NAT traversal thingy flipped on, whereas something like that was never an issue with my AirPort Extreme (now sitting nearby my roadRunner router, unplugged).
It certainly seems that way. I think the key difference is the two visible leaders—Cook and Ive—are not centered around making great computers. Cook may like great products, great management, and great company building, but I don't think he loves computers like Jobs did. Ive is the same way: he is a design guy and a real artist through and through. He's reaching out for other challenges like the one-off design collaborations with Marc(sp?) Newson, architecture, charity designs, etc. He's super focused on making beautiful elegant things, but he'll crush the computing in the process of creating the most singular, most perfect objects he can. Some places that doesn't hurt, like apple pencil or the magic input device trio, but when it comes to this 0.55mm-travel keyboard and stagnant oomph on the MacBook pros, it hurts a bit more. :/
I think we're seeing the difference that not really loving making great computers means. It should have taken 5-10 years to see this; the touch bar was 8 years in the making for example.
Last edited:
How is that beneficial? From a networking perspective, the optimal position for an access point is very much different from the optimal position for a TV set-top-box. You'll want an AP to sit at an unobstructed, elevated spot. Otherwise it'll need to transmit at full power all the time, wasting energy and generating unnecessary EM blanketing, which leads to (and is prone to) interference and may or may not damage your health.
So apple has decided to stop selling a $299 TC that some people will buy to sell a $3000 laptop that nobody will buy?
One doesn't need to read the posts here to know how much of a cesspit this forum has become. Or if there are indeed any useful nuggets of info inside, then blame the whiners for drowning them out.
10 years from now we will be all reminiscing how Apple became like Blackberry and became irrelevant.
If by this you mean "good products" then you are absolutely right. And it sure has been changing.
Yes it is very clear, with just how little money and talent Apple has at its disposal and how the AE and Time Capsules don't register with end users as being part of the Apple eco system it makes brilliant sense to just dump this hardware to save Apple's business from going under. Yes I am sarcastic and yes I think Apple is continuing a path of driving potential users away. All that we will have is folks like me who gives apple the " iTOLDuSO."
Last edited:
And thus no one else shall have one either! Ha ha ha!
