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Serious question. How do people back up their Macs if they're not using a Time Capsule?
 
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I honestly expect the majority of those people are using the router they were given by their ISP.

I've been in IT for decades and I used to have an 802.11n Airport Extreme with a Motorola modem because it got the job done well and I didn't want to pay rent to the cable company for a modem. I had just bought a fancy 802.11ac Linksys router to replace it when I signed up for Xfinity X-1 which gives you an 802.11ac Gateway whether you want one or not and frankly it works fantastic and with WPS, connecting stuff to it is even more simple than it was with the Airport utility. So I boxed the Linksys back up and returned it and sold the Motorola modem (I would have had to replace it anyway for the speeds I was being upgraded to). And I was just updated by Xfinity to a new model and it works even better.
This is true and I did the same thing since the ISP modem was really unreliable in my case. I still find that ISPs here in Sweden are sending the cheapest crap out there to the customers to save some cash.

But yes it is true that most customers will use the ISP provided modem / router.
 
Not a big shock but does show an interesting shrink in Apples echo system. I replace my wireless system with eero last year and bough a load of Echo dots and connected them to my speakers. Works great for multi room music.
 
That's too bad... one reason I liked buying Apple routers was I figured they tested their computers, phones and such against them more than other routers. My Airport Extreme has been rock-solid. I think the only time I rebooted it in the last five years was for software updates.

I wonder if this means Apple won't do any more security updates for it? If the engineers have been reassigned...

Anyone looking for an alternative, I have had good luck with the Netgear Nighthawk routers with Apple products. Stable, good features, and they do security firmware updates.
 
We'll see how long they will update the firmware then...
Maybe a yr or 2...

Have 2 Tower Extremes & 2 old Expresses.
Was hesitating when I bought the last Extreme if I should starting with a new brand 1 1/2 yr ago.
But I got a good sale price. Guess they wanted to get rid of the old crap.

Anyway, it’s sad when we see the old :apple: go.
Was the best earlier.
 
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It's a damn shame, the Airport line is the most elegantly designed networking hardware I've ever used. I've gotten spoiled by the Airport app on my phone.

Gonna be a real bummer when I have to resort to browser-based configuration shenanigans in the future.

Edit: Even more spoiled by wireless Time Machine backups. Ugh.

Get an Eero. It has an elegant design and is managed using the Eero mobile app on your iPhone.
 
Serious question. How do people back up their Macs if they're not using a Time Capsule?

For us, a mix of:

- Images stored to local NAS
- Cloud based offsite
- Cloud replication of specific important resources like photos, docs and sourcecode (G services, DropBox, iCloud Photos)
 
Wtf, they were good products!

Without Time Capsule, are people just going back to local backups? This is a step backwards.

There's no good replacement for the AirPort Express's AirPlay features. You can use an Apple TV, but that's way overkill if you just want music (have to set it up with a TV), and most people wouldn't connect one to their receivers.
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For us, a mix of:

- Images stored to local NAS
- Cloud based offsite
- Cloud replication of specific important resources like photos, docs and sourcecode (G services, DropBox, iCloud Photos)
So nothing that Apple provides to consumers. :/
 
Dang, may my old AirPort Extreme hold out until I get a new Mac. I bought a newer one last year but that just did not work with this older iMac (kept losing WiFi signals and such). So glad I kept the old AirPort.

Will probably try an Eero system once I get a new Mac.
 
About time Apple made this news official.

Even back in 2013, the AirPort Extreme didn't stand out from others in terms of routing performance.

Either be the best in the market or go home. Apple made the right decision.
I disagree about the AEBS in 2013. I found it way easier to use than other router/wireless combos for my rather advanced home setup. The router part never failed, unlike many routers that randomly require a power cycle every now and then, and the wireless component seemed to reach much better than others. The extra features like the USB drive and macOS Server integration were welcome too.

Over years of using AirPort devices, it was also nice that the configuration was the same across all of them. I never dreaded putting a new one in, unlike with others. IDK why everyone else decides to make a completely new web-based config page every iteration, usually a really convoluted and crappy one too.
 
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Serious question. How do people back up their Macs if they're not using a Time Capsule?

Most people just plug in an external drive. Honestly that’s the faster solution but it’s not the most convenient one. Hooking up a drive every time you want to back up is much less convenient than backing up to the TC wirelessly while you work.
 
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It's about time. Airport Extremes were never exactly great routers. It was just an overpriced, mediocre router aimed at Apple enthusiasts who think literally every piece of electronics in their house has to have an Apple logo on it.

This company loves destroying everything that got them to the top.

These niche products had absolutely nothing to do with Apple's rise. The only people who bought them were Apple fanboys who didn't know there were much better and cheaper routers available on the market.

Tim Cook: "I'm going to stop selling things people know they want and not provide an alternative."

There are hundreds/thousands of suitable alternatives on the market that will be just as stable, provide better performance, and be at least as easy to setup. Apple didn't get where they are by making networking equipment. Leave that to the professionals who reall
 
NetGear Orbi mesh wifi system has been a worthy replacement. No regrets about making the switch. I first tried out the Linksys Velop, which was a disaster. NetGear Orbi for the win!
 
The router market is a lot more mature now than it was in 1999.

Mature or not, the market is an ugly mess most people still do not appreciate having to wade into. You could sell my grandma a Macbook Air and an Air Ex and she'll be online in no time. Hand her the MBA and tell her in order to connect it to the internet, she'll have to do her own research about current networking standards and configuration scenarios and navigate the wireless router market for something that fits her needs, and it's not going to happen. Airport gave people a decent level of connectivity, options & NAS/TC service without requiring them to have to dig into networking. It got millions of macs online. However, Airport always had a lot more potential than Apple was willing to spend time and money on, and halfarsed it along with lackluster features update after update until they killed it.

It's a great product concept, but apparently too complicated for Apple, the biggest company in the world, to do well. How the hell they think they're going to build and sell us cars or whatever...
 
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They kill this, one of their better products, but continue to sell hot garbage like Mac Mini, Homepod, Watch and the outdated, overpriced and unupgradeable Mac Pro?

Watch? Homepod? How are those products "hot garbage?" Sure, the Homepod isn't a world beater in the smart speaker space, but it's a good piece of hardware with impressive sound. The Watch is a success in every sense of the word.
 
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