I don't know what it's like in America but in the UK, broadband providers have gotten much better and the routers are stupidly easy to set up, and pretty damn fast too.
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Apple Ceases Development of 'AirPort' Wireless Routers as Engineers Reassigned to Other Products
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I don't know what it's like in America but in the UK, broadband providers have gotten much better and the routers are stupidly easy to set up, and pretty damn fast too.
Although not explicitly stated, I'm assuming this is the end of Time Capsule. Pretty much the last reason to opt for a mac in my house. Been using a 1GB Time Capsule for wifi and automatically, interaction free backups for the two mac laptops in my house for years. Saved our bacon more than once and have always loved the way it will backup a closed, sleeping MacBook air/MBP whilst they're charging over night.
If there are no new Time Capsules forthcoming and Apple, as it seems, believes iCloud Drive/Photo Library/Music library is the answer for the future, then combined with the latest laptop lineup and it seems Apple and I have reached the end of the line as far as a full computer is concerned. Their phone lineup still trumps the competition, but the laptop line costs serious money for a retina display AND non Core M CPU. If first party Time Machine/Time Capsule support is going there is little to no reason to stay.
If there are no new Time Capsules forthcoming and Apple, as it seems, believes iCloud Drive/Photo Library/Music library is the answer for the future, then combined with the latest laptop lineup and it seems Apple and I have reached the end of the line as far as a full computer is concerned. Their phone lineup still trumps the competition, but the laptop line costs serious money for a retina display AND non Core M CPU. If first party Time Machine/Time Capsule support is going there is little to no reason to stay.
If it's not related to iOS, Apple wants nothing to do with it.
See the stagnant Mac releases, gutted pro Mac software, ceased production of stand alone desktop monitors, and features that are added to OS X are ONLY if they are iOS related.
Up next: Mac mini, Mac Pro.
See the stagnant Mac releases, gutted pro Mac software, ceased production of stand alone desktop monitors, and features that are added to OS X are ONLY if they are iOS related.
Up next: Mac mini, Mac Pro.
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With every product they abandon, it becomes easier to leave the Apple ecosystem. Cook shouldn't forget that. For the first time in many years I'm thinking about building a new pc. And I'd buy a Google Pixel if it were available here... I'll also most probably buy the next iPhone, but... Apple is on a dangerous path right now.
Makes me wonder if Time Machine will become an online service. It would seem a very Apple-like move at this point in time - plus, it means that if you don't own a Time Capsule, you're essentially tied to plugging in a HDD.
No. Apple fanboys are not sheep. They follow Apple because they think Apple is better. They'll take a little smack in the shoulder once in a while, but a punch to the face, no - they'll leave.
Apple seems to be changing a lot recently towards consumer electronics away from their computers. I'm still a fan of their consumer electronics (iPhones, watches, etc), but the computer end's foundation is starting to sink. Their computers still integrate with their consumer electronics much better than a Windows computer does, so I'm sticking with Macs for now, but I can see a future where I might have to leave macOS, sadly.
A bunch of manufacturers are shooting themselves in the foot by not catering to their audience.
For example, Bose. I have Bose headphones, love them. I wanted a wireless music system for my house. My first choice would be Bose because I'm happy with their headphones. But I can't go with them because their system won't work with Apple Music. And it hasn't for the past year. And Bose won't respond why not in their message boards. Sonos works fine with Apple Music. So I'm going with a Sonos system this Christmas.
You all realize AirPlay is compatible with any wireless network and does not require the use of an Airport? Literally everything an AirPort can be done by another router.
I'm going to miss the easy set up and management of Airport Utility. Dealing with router logins again is going to suck lol
I'm going to miss the easy set up and management of Airport Utility. Dealing with router logins again is going to suck lol
Routers from broadband providers are not free, they are leased.
The future of home networking is robust mesh wireless. Apple's choice was either to overhaul the entire AirPort line - or go a different direction.
My money is that they buy Eero.
My money is that they buy Eero.
That seems to be the difference with the new Apple. They are focusing on profits to the exclusion of the user experience, which -- in the long run -- is what always drove the popularity of Apple's products.
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This pisses me off more than any of Apple's other moves. Speaking as someone who has several of these in use, I've had nothing but frustration with similar products from other manufacturers. These were what I deployed for family that I maintain as well.
I'll hold onto my iPhone 6+ and 2010 Mac Pro until they die, I think. Looks like the latter won't get an update and I'll be out for good. I agree that the ecosystem is no longer sticky.
Guess I'll still have an iPad, but that'll be it. My Android tablet was a disappointment.
I'll hold onto my iPhone 6+ and 2010 Mac Pro until they die, I think. Looks like the latter won't get an update and I'll be out for good. I agree that the ecosystem is no longer sticky.
Guess I'll still have an iPad, but that'll be it. My Android tablet was a disappointment.
Not in the UK. They just give you them. You keep them. In fact, they pile up.
Bummer, I'm on the previous gen Time Capsule, and my parents are on the previous previous gen, and my sister is on the Airport Express. They have been by far the most reliable routers I've used (which is why I gave my parents/sister them so I don't have to be family tech support so much).
I had been planning on upgrading to the next TC, but guess that isn't happening. I'll have to find another solution as it was very convenient for backups in one unit as well.
I had been planning on upgrading to the next TC, but guess that isn't happening. I'll have to find another solution as it was very convenient for backups in one unit as well.
And the Macbook "Pro" is obscenely overpriced, the Mini is dead, the Macbook Air is dead, the Mac Pro is dead, Apple monitor is dead, the iPhone is rapidly losing market share, Apple watch going nowhere, QC is suffering, Magsafe is going, Apple TV aborted, Apple car aborted.
The company direction is clear. Something is very wrong within the company.
Apple is so over. Sad.
The company direction is clear. Something is very wrong within the company.
Apple is so over. Sad.
This is sad, but it is the right move for Apple and their business plan. For better or worse, things are all moving to the cloud. In the perfect cloud world, neither Time Capsule backups or AirPlay is necessary, since all of your stuff can be accessed and played from anywhere. Of course, this perfect implementation is a long way off (and may never fully materialize), but hanging onto stuff like the Time Capsule will only slow people's adoption and trust of the cloud. As much as I hate the cloud and the privacy issues therein, it is the way of the future for the general consumer (and we all see that Apple panders to the general consumer rather than the professional or niche markets anymore).
Get ready for a new apple tv that has built in modem, wifi router, one usb-c port along with a backup system for macs/pcs/ipads/iphones and apple watches.
This sucks. Trouble free routers and backup.
Streaming TV and music are game changers, Electric Vehicles too. If its anything like the other products/services introduced under Cook they will be late to the game and badly implemented or dead before they even get off the ground.
I personally find the management utility apps to be more frustrating than using a web-based utility like other brands offer.
I don't think this was ever a huge profit maker for them. The original Airport Base Station was one of the first affordable wireless access points when it came out in 1999. The Price of $300 (okay $299) is still cheaper than some of the higher end options today.