Discontinued AirPort Extreme and 2TB Time Capsule Finally Disappear From Apple Online Store

[MacRumors]

Apple back in April ended development on its AirPort line of products, which includes the $99 AirPort Express, the $199 AirPort Extreme, and the $299 AirPort Time Capsule.

At the time the accessories were discontinued, Apple said that it would continue selling existing stock until available supply was exhausted. It appears that point has been reached for both the AirPort Extreme and the 2TB AirPort Time Capsule, which have been removed from the Apple online store.

There are no longer any AirPort products available for purchase from the online store or Apple retail locations, with the exception of some refurbished AirPort devices that may continue to be available on the refurbished site.

Apple had not updated its AirPort products since 2012 (Express) and 2013 (Extreme and Time Capsule), and rumors in 2016, which ultimately turned out to be correct, suggested Apple had stopped development on the product with AirPort engineers reassigned to other devices.

In lieu of its own line of AirPort products, Apple is now offering third-party routers like the Linksys Velop mesh Wi-Fi system.

Apple's AirPort base stations provided some unique benefits that are not available through third-party options like built-in Time Machine backup support in the Time Capsule and AirPlay functionality for the AirPort Express.

Though the AirPort devices have been discontinued, Apple plans to provide service and parts for the current generation models for the next five years.

Article Link: Discontinued AirPort Extreme and 2TB Time Capsule Finally Disappear From Apple Online Store

 

[PoppaKap]

Sad day.

 

[zorinlynx]

What, if anything, does Apple officially recommend people to buy instead?

 

[gsmornot]

I will miss you my friend. I bought up a few on eBay to keep my house going for a while. Years I hope. Sure there are other options but I have had no issues at all with mine so I keep them going.

 

[MacsRuleOthersDrool]

R.I.P., best (most stable) routers on the planet...

 

[imran5720]

A bad move

 

[kagharaht]

Well when mines dies, I'll just have to do Time Machine directly on my iMac and make it a Time Capsule so other users on my home network can backup wirelessly.

 

[AngerDanger]

It's like watching Infinity Wars all over again.

"I don't feel so good, Mr. Cook…"

 

[tromboneaholic]

"Apple's AirPort base stations provided some unique benefits that are not available through third-party options like built-in Time Machine backup support in the Time Capsule"

My Asus Wi-Fi router actually supports remote time machine to a hard drive plugged into it.

 

[seatton]

So sad. I got the Extreme 3 months or so ago and I love it. It works well with my Express.

 

[MarcKerr]

The AirPort stuff just isn't keeping up with the feature sets of other devices. Got a Ubiquity https://amplifi.com setup and it was as easy or maybe easier to setup than the old AirPort

 

[Wilford]

Apple back in April ended development on its AirPort line of products, which includes the $99 AirPort Express, the $199 AirPort Extreme, and the $299 AirPort Time Capsule.

Why are they ending this popular product?
Don't Apple enjoy making money?

 

[DeftwillP]

I'm still using my expresses for streaming music to different zones in the house. Trying to meet a craigslist guy today to buy the newer version to replace one of the old original models that doesn't support AP2.

 

[Superhai]

My Asus Wi-Fi router actually supports remote time machine to a hard drive plugged into it.

Yes, and Samba does now provide very good and effective time machine settings. So any router with the newer versions of Samba should provide it without problems.

 

[coolfactor]

The AirPort stuff just isn't keeping up with the feature sets of other devices. Got a Ubiquity https://amplifi.com setup and it was as easy or maybe easier to setup than the old AirPort

Yes, Apple showed them the light, and now router manufacturers are finally delivering systems that are user-friendly. I set up an ASUS router five years ago and it really impressed me how effortless it was.

This day has been coming for a while. One day, Apple may see another area of technology that needs fixing and step in. But until then, routers is not that area.

 

[jmh600cbr]

Bought google mesh with a frown on my face

 

[dzhukov]

So glad I found brand new Time Capsule with a great discount few months ago.
I've already got the same one, but.. get it while you can, right?

 

[MarcKerr]

I'm still using my expresses for streaming music to different zones in the house.

That is a very nice feature that I've not seen on other devices.

 

[eldo33]

R.I.P., best (most stable) routers on the planet...

such a strong statement...guess you only used the Apple branded one then cuz i had one in the past and lasted only few years. Been using Asus one and worked very very well.

 

[iapplelove]

I’ve owned the last two. The last one still works like a champ.

But I’ve moved on to a mesh system and g drives as back up alternatives.

 

[mtbdudex]

My AirPort Extreme is working great, I love the parental WiFi controls on it. Only thing is it’s range and strength. Which newer device offers same WiFi controls with better whole home coverage?

 

[katbel]

Article Link: Discontinued AirPort Extreme and 2TB Time Capsule Finally Disappear From Apple Online Store

I was still hoping they could change their mind since April but it seems they didn't
Depressing: when something works at Apple they kill it
Since a while This is the trend
I really miss someone who had better ideas ..and I keep my airports till they work

 

[Swazaloo]

Very sad, maybe they'll release a mesh networking system in the future. Seems like getting an Eero or Orbi is the way to go these days. The Orbi is technically better (on paper), but it's just too ugly for me so I'll be going with Eero.

https://eero.com/
http://www.ca.netgear.com/orbi/

 

[now i see it]

"Phone companies don't make routers Phil"

 

[falainber]

What, if anything, does Apple officially recommend people to buy instead?

Apple watch bands.