Most of the higher end Asus routers support it natively. You just have to plug in a external HDD
http://www.asus.com/us/support/FAQ/1004458/
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Apple Ceases Development of 'AirPort' Wireless Routers as Engineers Reassigned to Other Products
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Most of the higher end Asus routers support it natively. You just have to plug in a external HDD
http://www.asus.com/us/support/FAQ/1004458/
Honestly there are loads of great options out there for wireless networking and time machine, I dont think this is a big deal in and of its self. Its certainly nowhere near as concerning to Apples seemingly disinterested attitude to is actual computer hardware. That could have big implications for Apples ecosystem moving forward.
In the interests of science, I've just tried plugging a disk into my router and it worked perfectly
All you need to do is select the shared folder you want to use for time machine backups as in the screenshot, and it then appears on the Mac's disk selection dialog box and I successfully backed up to it
I must admit, I've completely forgotten about Apple even having their own router to begin with. I've just been using my ASUS RT-AC68U router with a cheap Synology DS214se NAS. Been doing Time Machine backups for almost 2 years without any issues. All my Apple devices work flawlessly with the ASUS router and I get very good transfer speeds. The NAS is also great for storage in general and transferring files between devices. The model I have is really slow though if you have to copy a lot (thousands) of small files. It does reasonably okay with large files. I guess you get what you pay for.
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Isn't that screenshot from the Synology NAS setup/management that you access via your browser?
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In the interests of science, I've just tried plugging a disk into my router and it worked perfectly
All you need to do is select the shared folder you want to use for time machine backups as in the screenshot, and it then appears on the Mac's disk selection dialog box and I successfully backed up to it
View attachment 674162
Isn't that screenshot from the Synology NAS setup/management that you access via your browser?
I AGREE. I don't want a
watch. I don't want a car. I want an Apple Eco-system that "just works". I am starting to really consider Android and feel like within a year, they'll be THE eco-system to use.I miss
SJ.Absolutely.
PS Add me to the Synology group. Have been using NAS's for years, currently own DS916+, DS716+II, DX513. Synology offers a broad range of servers no matter your needs and budget, most with upgradable RAM and Intel quad processors and expansion units should you need more bays.
Synology's DSM 6.x OS is an excellent cross-platform browser based system with a plethora of free, professional grade applications from web hosting, file sharing, cloud syncing, multimedia, mail and business productivity to iSCSI virtualization, etc. My Berlin and NY homes with current gen AirPort Extreme Base Stations run "Video Station" for streaming movies and shows locally and on the road using Synology's iOS apps (also have Android, etc versions). "Time Machine" works flawlessly, a great alternative to "Time Capsules" as you can upgrade the drives, etc.
Side note: Spent ~2 years digitizing my Blu-Rays, etc. with 2 Mac Pro's and a combination of app's to ensure lossless as possible media. Took me ~6 months to learn everything necessary in ensuring nothing was lost; video track and all audio tracks (DTS, Stereo for iOS devices, commentary tracks, TrueHD, now ATMOS) and have 8-10 TB's running on a quad core DS716+II with 8GB RAM (have a Mcintosh AVR with 7.1 B&W speaks and an LG OLED). It handles Everything I throw at it, barely cranking CPU transcoding. Supports 4K, H.265, etc. and lists for ~$449. Most may not need a system to handle such a library but it's a good bet to invest now as it's a solid long term investment.
Here's a link to Synology's DSM 6.x OS for those interested. Click on "DSM 6.0" in the top left corner, then "Features" to a see a list of categories and apps that are available.
https://www.synology.com/en-us/dsm/6.0/features
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In case nobody mentioned this yet: Samba, the open-source SMB implementation is very close to implementing the TM spec over SMB. This means stable TM server functionality for everyone.
https://bugzilla.samba.org/show_bug.cgi?id=12380
https://bugzilla.samba.org/show_bug.cgi?id=12380
What basis is there for this though? Do you really believe that the only reason they would drop out of a market is because they've got something better lined up?
I mean look at the display situation, they've essentially ducked out of that business and pushed the LG displays instead. It isn't because the LG displays "trounce" what went before or what you could've reasonably expected from an updated version of the Thunderbolt display, its because they can't sell something like that at circa 40% margin and have it remotely competitive with what is on offer from third parties.
Couple that with the fact that they dont seem to have much interest in the Mac let alone peripherals for the Mac and this is what you see. No more Thunderbolt Display and no more Airport devices.
If it doesn't augment iOS devices, TV or the Watch it doesn't matter.
No, it's the Synology router setup. The OS is very similar and the UI almost identical except they call it SRM (Synology Router Management) rather than DSM (Disk Station Management).
It's a brilliant router and possibly the most feature rich one I've ever used
They don't fully support it though. For instance, you cannot do encrypted backups which is a huge oversight.
I've read through most of the many posts on this thread so far. I too have to register my disappointment with Apple's decision if this report is true.
My little TC, 3 x AE's, iMac, 2 x ATV, iPads and iPhones system works brilliantly. I don't want to step outside the ecosystem. I like being inside the walled garden and that Apple will help me with any issues and not blame them on 3rd Parties.
I am dismayed with the way Apple are heading. This year is the first year I've not updated my iPhone since the 3G. Each annual product reveal seems lacking in ideas and the UK price increases are eye-watering.
I am beginning to feel played like a fool by Apple.
My little TC, 3 x AE's, iMac, 2 x ATV, iPads and iPhones system works brilliantly. I don't want to step outside the ecosystem. I like being inside the walled garden and that Apple will help me with any issues and not blame them on 3rd Parties.
I am dismayed with the way Apple are heading. This year is the first year I've not updated my iPhone since the 3G. Each annual product reveal seems lacking in ideas and the UK price increases are eye-watering.
I am beginning to feel played like a fool by Apple.
It makes more sense to me than the popular narrative that Apple is getting lazy and greedy and dropping any product in its portfolio which isn't earning a decent profit. Which I don't believe for a single moment.
I won't be surprised if we see some kind of "Siri speakers" in the near future which replicates much of the functionality of the airport router and more. Something tells me we are simply hearing one part of the story.
I really hope you're right. Seeing as how many Apple product launches are ridiculously leaked these days I wish they would do away with the crazy cloak and dagger stuff and just TELL US where they're going. This would at least stop some of the angst we're seeing.
My experience of Apple these past few years has been high hopes and expectation and then disappointment on reveal days. Disappointment that the leaks were true and that's 'all' there is to see.
Does it? Even with actual recent evidence to the contrary? When the Thunderbolt display was discontinued people said Apple would come along with something better. Not happening though is it?
I would actually be surprised if we didn't see some kind of "me too" Amazon Echo style Siri device to be honest, although I would be a bit surprised if it included the same functionality as the Airport devices. That sounds like a bit of a confused product.
Your faith in apple is strong, too strong maybe. Since we know when apple hires new janitors even it seems lol, we've had no mention of Apple HRO acquisitions here or poaching from Cisco or Juniper.
Apples only real weakness here was the router iOS. I am using the original meaning of iOS, its not an apple word actually and refers to a specialized OS for devices other than computers...ie cisco iOS for their routers and swtiches.
And that not even a weakness. I like my apples setup, clean and simple, I can play SSH games into cisco iOS at work or in virtual labs in GNS3 if I really miss that at home lol.
Take away is this would be the only area they could improve on besides throwing an SSD in for a hard drive. And that would not be innovation. It would be a garden variety drive upgrade.
Just a thought but is there any chance that they'd integrate router capabilities to the next gen Apple TV? Because that'd be awesomeness. Is it technically possible? At least for a higher priced larger bodied Apple TV-router?
Hence the collaboration with LG on the USB C me monitors. Sure, they don't have that aluminium unibody design or the Apple logo, but it's functionally still the same product.
If you ask me, I feel the biggest problem that Apple is facing today is that it is just incredibly overtaxed. It has to maintain four separate operating systems, keep existing shareholders happy, all while planning how to enter new markets. And I feel that Apple is doing a reasonably good job of juggling all the responsibilities on its plate. Not perfect, but an admirable job nevertheless.
However, as risky as it is for Apple to enter a new, and unproven market such as self driving technology and health, The risk is even greater that Apple is simply content to coast along on sales of its existing products. That might keep some existing users happy, but it's not a viable long-term business strategy.
To me, this is precisely what makes Apple so amazing, yet so irritating at the same time. That they march to their own beat and not care two hoots about what the rest of us think. If you are going increasingly dissatisfied with Apple, then now is the time to quit, because Apple is never going to change. Not now, not ever.
But the LG monitors are hardly something that trounces what went before are they?
Honestly they've already changed. Do you think Jobs could've cared less what Wall Street thought?
Today? He probably would, whether he wanted to or not. There has been pressure by some investors to optimize shareholder returns. That means put the profits into dividends or stock buy-backs and not into product research or some form of rainy day fund. Almost every publicly held company that is doing good to extremely well financially is being pressured to put more money towards stock buy backs or dividends. Speculators try to buy enough stock to force a vote and if they succeed at the very least the long term health of a company is compromised. The speculators can earn a lot money quickly by selling some or most of their shares because stocks climb (usually) when dividends or buy-backs are announced.
I am not defending how Tim Cook is running Apple right now, just look at my posts on this subject alone, but there are a lot of people in the financial world who look at Apple's billions in profits and want a bigger share of that for themselves. If it hurts the company long term- well, there will be a new company to invest in. They only care about quick money.
Here's one that definitely does:
https://www.synology.com/en-us/products/RT1900ac
Good company, makes great hardware.
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The 1900 is a router, not a NAS. It works. Plug a hard drive into it.
Synology's NASs also support time machine themselves, and have for years, so they know how to do it right.
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I second what he said. Been running two DS3612xs's for years, and have only had one brief hiccup on one box, that was easily resolved. The OS is great - it's like running MacOS in a web browser. Very easy to set up and maintain. And their router uses very similar software.
Absolutely agree but Jobs had been resisting pressure to pay dividends to shareholders for years, as soon as Cook took over it was dividends all round.
Don't get me wrong times change and with the cash pile Apple are sitting on these days dividends and buy backs make more sense than they did for a long time under Jobs. The point is Cook actually pays far more attention to investors and shareholders than Jobs ever did and you can see how that is influencing product decisions.
You get the impression that Cook is reluctant to commit any kind of resources to things like a Thunderbolt display or an Airport device in case he finds it difficult to explain to Gene Munster how it improves the share price on the next analysts call.
I Agree. There are probably a few good exceptions somewhere in business but in general bean-counters should not be put in charge of companies that are expected to innovate.
