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Apple Officially Discontinues AirPort Wireless Router Lineup [Updated]

zorinlynx said:
I was really hoping that they were just waiting until the next WiFi standard to come out to release new AirPort base stations. I'm sad that they're being discontinued.

However, I do wonder: What will they recommend to replace the Time Capsule for networked backup purposes? We can still do Time Machine backups to local USB drives, but retiring the Time Capsule leaves a big hole for this application.
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Any decent router can do Time Machine backups over the network. I use few yesrs old Asus model and it works just as good as when i had mac mini with server software and network tm backup.
 
nt5672 said:
Depends, of course if you define the core business as selling iPhones (money maker), then you are right. That is the way Cook thinks. If you define the core business as selling an integrated infrastructure that is easy to set up and use for a wide verity of users then WiFi devices were a part of the core business.

The WiFi from ISP devices are really bad, and now Apple is at their mercy. At the same time these ISPs are increasing becoming competitors with Apple as Apple moves into content creation.
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If done right, a “Made for Mac” program could replicate that experience. For instance, if Apple opened up Time Machine to certain third party mesh routers backups could be a lot quicker than with the existing Time Capsule.
 
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Tim Cook is not an IT guy, but pure salesman. Good for the stock, bad for the users...what does it mean practically? We have a dozen iPhones or iPads to chose from, but Macs themselves and accessories like Airport are badly designed (Pro series), not updated (Mini) or just discontinued. It‘s a shame.
 
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Kaibelf said:
Hyperbole much? If this was a massive seller then it wouldn’t have been cut, just like their $1000 monitors. What got them to the top were music players, and then phones which incorporated those music players. Everything else was limited in scope and adoption even among Apple users. I doubt that 1% of iPhone users in any single recent quarter purchased an Airport device in the past 3-5 years.
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Sure the iPhone took Apple to the top - I agree with that.

But what made me and a lot of people to switch from Windows to Apple was that everything Apple was "Plug and Play". This does not apply to Apple anymore. So Apple should ONLY sell items that sell really really good and cut the rest? That's not a great experience for the hardcore Apple customers. Or new Apple customers.
 
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iDento said:
It's sad because the hardware looked cool and works, but a wifi router with a NAS is better in many aspects including Time Machine and iTunes servers, not noob friendly though.
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It’s beautiful really. Just a good looking white modern cube instead of those black, plasticky flat things with antennas sticking out all over the place. Perhaps they provide better range but the TC has enough range and speed for me.
 
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After changing from Linksys to Airport I have been extremely satisfied with my router setup, 1 Extreme, 1 time capsule, and 1 express added in the garage. I tried and failed to extend my daughter's wifi network. After I found out her Lynksys router was not compatible with the extender I installed. I installed my old Extreme and it covered the whole house without an extender. I will use them forever as long as there is no bug discovered that Apple won't fix.
 
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lec0rsaire said:
They’ve been neglecting what was their main business: Macs and all accessories related to them. I don’t think Jobs would’ve done the same thing.
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It’s hard to say. iPhone had only just overtaken Macs when he turned over the reins to Tim Cook. Suffice it to say he’d have been the first to dump legacy ports (he’d probably love the 12” MacBook). If anything he’d probably say they need to cut more products from their lineup.
 
ck2875 said:
So what do people recommend (that isn't Google WiFi)?
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If you want decent Time Machine capability, then Synology RT2600ac or RT1900ac.

If you don’t care for Time Machine support, then a Ubiquiti-based setup.
 
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Mike MA said:
Tim Cook is not an IT guy, but pure salesman. Good for the stock, bad for the users...what does it mean practically? We have a dozen iPhones or iPads to chose from, but Macs themselves and accessories like Airport are badly designed, not updated or just discontinued. It‘s a shame.
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Tim Cook's not even a salesman, he's an operations guy. Operations guys are purely about streamlining the process and many times fail to see the big picture.
 
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CaTOAGU said:
It's a bit rubbish but it's hard to compete with the prevalence of free routers that ISPs routinely supply now.
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I bought mine precisely to replace the router supplied by my ISP - because it was absolute rubbish. Lost connection three times a day at least. Totally unreliable. And a used Airport Express is a very cheap and reliable way to play music on your home stereo equipment from all your Apple devices.
 
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Mykbibby said:
This would have really bummed me out—however, the Linksys Velop system is so outstanding it completely eliminates the need for Apple to develop an in-house solution. When third party companies out-Apple Apple, there's no need for Apple to remain in the space.
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Yes, this is likely the reason. Apple is already failing to keep their mainstay products updated, so it makes sense that they trim some of the fat to narrow their focus.

Apple kickstarted the Wi-Fi world that we now live in, but it has become a very mature marketplace, and there's very little tech-wise that Apple can contribute beyond a super-simple user interface. It's a poor user interface that always made 3rd-party routers feel "dirty" to me, but I've had the occasional "wow" experience with some of them lately.
 
Stable routers, yes. Performant? No. And why the heck a router needs a fan?! I know... superior design... Design for the dump.

Edit: With an old Airport Express I went through the executive support staff and still didn't find out what were the WAN-to-LAN speeds over different protocols. They recommended to switch to a newer model to get better speeds. :) But they didn't have the speeds for those ones either. Marketing a router as a "gigabit router" when it can do just gigabit switching, and 260Mbps routing on Ethernet its just plain unprofessional.
 
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This is too bad. I was hoping they would join the mesh game. Imagine a system of mesh adapters that not only cover your home in 802.11ax WiFi, but also provide true wireless power to all of your portable devices? I was hoping that this would be the future of the AirPort. One port to rule them all—data and power—over the air!
 
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