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

[agsystems]

I don't use any of these overprice products but this is telling me that the bean counters (as Steve would say) have taken over - "we only" make products that make money - what about products that help sell the main platform? A lot of folks would pay an extra $300-500 for an Apple looking monitor.

 

[dylin]

What's going on? Is Apple deliberately trying to piss off customers? The convenient MagSafe is gone, SD card slot gone, headphone jack gone, optical SPDIF on 4th Apple TV gone.

Next things to kill: OTA Time Capsule backups and AirPlay... oh c'mon Apple. My sympathy is shrinking!

The reason why many loyal customers like(d) Apple was the huge convenience factor and reliability within a smart ecosystem.

Supplementary products such as AirPort Time Capsule, the 3rd gen Apple TV, and the Apple Thunderbolt Display surely didn't generate a lot of revenue, but completed the unique Apple experience at home and in the office. If you didn't want to fiddle around with 3rd party support and drivers (like in the PC world), you just bought everything from Apple, and you knew that everything would work smoothly – because it was Apple.

But now things are changing, the convenience factor has been significantly disturbed with the latest #donglelife backlash and ugly LG monitors on top of that. Not to mention the never-the-same Space Gray (gone Jet Black) color-rama-drama.

I beginn to miss a central theme – a leitmotif – across the latest Apple products. The harmony is falling apart. While e.g. Microsoft is currently hard working on just that: unification. Be careful Apple... Nokia was once big too! Don't let the bean counters kill the company we used to love.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Reading about how they aren't going to work on any of the airport devices because "not enough money is being brought in" shows that Tim Cook is only about numbers and not customer appreciation.

 

[Mikkis]

So, in a couple more years, Apple will be nothing more than tablets and phones? Timmy needs to hit the road.

... and adapters

 

[bluespark]

What's going on? Is Apple deliberately trying to piss off customers? The convenient MagSafe is gone, SD card slot gone, headphone jack gone, optical SPDIF on 4th Apple TV gone.

Next things to kill: OTA Time Capsule backups and AirPlay... oh c'mon Apple. My sympathy is shrinking!

The reason why many loyal customers like(d) Apple was the huge convenience factor and reliability within a smart ecosystem.

Supplementary products such as AirPort Time Capsule, the 3rd gen Apple TV, and the Apple Thunderbolt Display surely didn't generate a lot of revenue, but completed the unique Apple experience at home and in the office. If you didn't want to fiddle around with 3rd party support and drivers (like in the PC world), you just bought everything from Apple, and you knew that everything would work smoothly – because it was Apple.

But now things are changing, the convenience factor has been significantly disturbed with the latest #donglelife backlash and ugly LG monitors on top of that. Not to mention the never-the-same Space Gray (gone Jet Black) color-rama-drama.

I beginn to miss a central theme – a leitmotif – across the latest Apple products. The harmony is falling apart. While e.g. Microsoft is currently hard working on just that: unification. Be careful Apple... Nokia was once big too! Don't let the bean counters kill the company we used to love.

Couldn't have said this better. The bean counters are focused on the profitability of individual products, but Apple purchases aren't typically one-offs. Take away the environment, the "it just works," and the design cohesion and many of us will look elsewhere even for our phones.

 

[Soba]

The damage being wrought by this management team is mind boggling. They have been eroding—and are now actively destroying—the Apple ecosystem. Without the multiple legs of hardware, software, and services holding up the stool, it will fall over.

The Airport is the best line of consumer wireless devices on the market, period. The ease of adding access points and the overall user experience obliterate everything else in the consumer market. And this doesn't even take into account features such as Airplay or Bonjour printer sharing.

What are they thinking? ARE they thinking?

 

[Digital Dude]

So basically everyting that is accounted for less than 5% of their revenues is going for the chop...

Next in line: Mac Mini and MacPro

That seems pretty much guaranteed at this point! To think that just recently I upgraded all of my Apple components at the same time, which is the first time I've ever done that. The new iPhone 7+, ceramic Apple-Watch, and the new 15-inch MacBook Pro. Now, I feel a little duped that I have bought into a company that's seems to be throwing in the towel. If there were any way possible to cancel my MBP BTO I most certainly would. Unfortunately, it's about due to be shipped if it hasn't already.

 

[Roobun]

... and adapters

They don't make their own displays anymore. It would be funny if they stopped making their own dongles and instead partnered with Belkin or Logitech XD

 

[imran5720]

Oh, that's worst decision in recent years

 

[Xgm541]

Perhaps they will open up AirPlay and Time Capsule wireless backups to third party routers.

I've been using time capsule via a third party solution for a few years now (Synology disk station).

 

[wolfshades]

Perhaps they will open up AirPlay and Time Capsule wireless backups to third party routers.

Don't know about wireless backups but my understanding is that you don't need a Time Capsule to enable airplay. TC just makes it easier. Please - someone correct me if I'm wrong about this.

 

[skippermonkey]

No, Apple isn't doomed. But its users are.

By having an Apple Mac Pro, I've been gently coerced into buy Apple-branded devices – mice, keyboards, iPods, Airport, iPads, iPhones, monitors. I've bought several of all these at considerable expense on my part. But increasingly, not only do I see no need, but I am actively being discouraged from buying Apple products. My next monitor won't be an Apple that's for sure. And at this rate my next desktop won't be. And then I doubt that I'll need an Apple phone or an Apple tablet...

Tim Cook is not seeing the big picture, just the big dollar signs.

 

[JaySoul]

i hadnt seen this before.
google is creating the eco system we want.
apple is abandoning it (and us).

there might be some kind of apple TV / wireless screen/audio system play in here somewhere that apple is thinking about.
but until the IoT is REALLY everywhere, its devices that are still very much needed for real life networks and data to be pushed around and maintained safely.

Yeah and Google already have:

Google Wifi
Google Home
Nest
Google Play Music
Chromecast (normal, 4K and Audio)

I think Google are taking this a lot more seriously than Apple, that much is clear.

 

[polbit]

Apple Computer, Inc. -> Apple, Inc. -> Apple Gadgets, Inc.

 

[jamescobalt]

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.

For many users it'll be death by a thousand cuts. As much as I dislike Windows 10, the new Microsoft Surface Studio desktop looks *amazing*. Not that I can afford the debut model's price, but I can wait, and it's not like it's costlier than a comparable Mac.

 

[ugahairydawgs]

... and adapters

It's pronounced dongles, thank you very much.

 

[jpn]

Meh. Who cares? This product probably makes up 0.00001% of their revenue. They have more important things to focus on.

Cue Apple are Doomed posts...

if you took time to read most of the posts on this you will see that most of the people posting here understand that these devices are a tiny portion of revenue.
their point is that it is one more brick in the eco-system that is being removed, or not updated.
it has been a part of the apple system infrastructure up till now.
the "it just works" probably can't be used very much longer.
apple's mac os still has such little market share in the world (outside of the USA).
we still need a mac centered product line, or, google is becoming more and more what apple used to be.

 

[thekeyring]

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.

macOS is updated every year. This + the MacBook and new MacBook Pro show they are interested in the Mac. Surly, once they update the iMac (and I keep reading that the processors Apple might use aren't out yet, not sure if that's the case...) that's like 90% of their users covered, if not more?

I really don't understand you lot. One second you're accusing Apple of spreading itself too thin, next that it's not doing enough.

 

[talkybear]

Once people start to step out of the Apple ecosystem, they will know that the outside world is just as beautiful and may not come back.

 

[Mildredop]

Supplementary products such as AirPort Time Capsule, the 3rd gen Apple TV, and the Apple Thunderbolt Display surely didn't generate a lot of revenue, but completed the unique Apple experience at home and in the office.

Got it in one.

I got given an iPod Nano as a gift and that kick-started me buying the full compliment - MacBook Pro, iPhone, Apple TV, AirPort Extreme and Express etc.

But as they've given up on products, I've gone looking elsewhere. Now all I have is a MacBook Pro which was ready to update, but the new one doesn't interest me in the least.

It's all the little products that people buy to increase their Apple ecosystem. Without those, there's no ecosystem to have and customers might consider looking elsewhere altogether.

Even the products they do have don't play nicely with each other.

 

[rawweb]

You know, I've kept my mouth closed. Discontinuing the displays really, really bummed me out. Removing the ports so drastically in the MacBook Pro stunned me. Going 3 years without a single update or price reduction on the Mac Pro/mini, I tried to justify...But, for some reason, this just put the writing on the wall for me. I wish Apple saw value in providing an ecosystem for it's users, but it really looks like the best days are behind us.

RIP Airport. You had a great run. You made wireless a painless technology for me since the G4. And you "just worked" when I plugged your base station into my home network. Ohhhh man....

 

[Reason077]

What's going on? Is Apple deliberately trying to piss off customers?

Steve Jobs left us. That's what's going on.

 

[irishv]

If the Time Capsule is going, Time Machine might follow the same route in a future release of macOS (and I wouldn't be surprised if Apple tried to push a new iCloud online backup service as an alternative, which might or might not please Time Capsule users).

I think this is exactly what Apple plans to do. I can see Tim on stage next year or the year after saying "Time Machine was wonderful technology before you could sync all your data to all devices via iCloud. With iCloud Drive, you no longer need local backups. When your MacBookPro's built-in SSD dies in a year, just buy a new laptop, log in with your iCloud account, and all your data is already there."

 

[HailstormX]

Does Apple have any good news to share. Every day is more depressing. I Love my Apple Products but geez they are really hating the Apple Fan base. I just don't get it. I really miss the good old days when they made innovative products that helped pro's and average users (MacBook Pro / MacBook etc). The Airport line was great. I have been using them from the very beginning. Now with this being disbanded it show really where Apples priorities are at. I think a Mesh network with a Apple touch would do fantastic. Just seems like a huge missed opportunity. Thats a everyday problem Apple used to be great at tackling. And would make for a easy relatable keynote presentation.

I really feel there whole attitude is well no ones buying them any more and we can't make the device as thin as a pancake so lets get rid of it. Oh and no ones buying it because its 3+ years old thats not a valid reason? Lots of inconsistencies in the product line too. Actually the fact that the Extreme was AC and the express was N you would think that could be addressed over a 3 year time frame..

Ultimately I hate how they are letting product lines die off.. I wish the deal was Apple updated computers etc every 8-12 months. No crazy redesigns just functional and useful products. I don't care if processors aren't ready bump the graphics make it relevant against average pc's. In the past I didn't mind the "Apple Tax" when it felt like I was getting superior cutting edge gear but lately they are really running out of vision and have completely lost it for what the customer wants or needs. ugh...

Sucks.. most of the posts here are right. You have the Apple Tax and now the Dongle Tax. And pretty soon you will have the tax of moving over to a windows/linux pc after apple axes the whole thing. Just really frustrating.

 

[zorinlynx]

Don't know about wireless backups but my understanding is that you don't need a Time Capsule to enable airplay. TC just makes it easier. Please - someone correct me if I'm wrong about this.

A couple weeks ago, I got curious when I heard Apple had enabled Time Machine over SMB officially, so I tried to create a Time Machine backup volume on my Samba fileserver. It did not work; the system did not make the volume available for Time Machine.

So no, it doesn't necessarily work. Perhaps Apple whitelisted some NAS devices on the market and it'll work with them, but for my Linux file server running Samba it was a no-go.

I didn't spend too much time trying to get it to work, since I have my Time Capsule... but now that I know TC will be discontinued maybe I'll put more time into it. I'll follow up on this thread if I get it working.

EDIT: Oops I misread your post; you said Airplay not TM backups. No, Airplay works over any router. However, what I typed is still relevant to Time Machine users so I'll leave it up.

 

[jamescobalt]

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.

You're forgetting that AirPlay is a whole house audio solution similar to Sonos - local hardware (Airport Express units) need to communicate with each other over the wifi network to get the audio in sync.

Perhaps Apple will release a cheap Airplay Dongle like Google did for their ecosystem. Though I won't hold my breath. #Apple.