Apple axes Wi-Fi router division, apparently signaling the end of AirPort

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  • Reply 61 of 225
    misamisa Posts: 827member
    sog35 said:
    This is too bad.

    I like these products. 
    The Airport devices last longer than the junk put out by the likes of d-link. That said, real NAS devices are superior to Apple's solution (for Time Capsule) while pretty much every ISP releases their own router, which makes having a second router something of a technical support issue (double-NAT tends to break lots of things.)  WiFi has matured to a point where there's not much else you're going to get out of having an Apple router. 

    The other thing to consider is that many people have moved from mechanical drives to SSD's, and Apple is trying to sell it's iCloud services for $26/mo for 2TB. So the Time Capsule actually conflicts with this. 

    Ultimately, there is no reason for people to replace Time Capsule/AirPort devices. So once bought, there's a declining number of customers that will buy a new one. That said, I wonder what exactly Apple is using for their iCloud storage.






  • Reply 62 of 225
    Sad about this recent Apple, Inc.

    They have so much money.  Insane profit margins.  They even sink millions into a poorly managed car division.
    And yet they cannot even maintain their Apple eco system?  How so?

    Once users start to buy LG monittors or Google wifi systems, watch how quickly they will buy LG or Google phones!
    Mark my words.  Especiially once these addons get exclusive features not supported by LG or Google when connected to Apple devices.

    I consider ths 'focussing on core businesses' the biggest mistake of Tim Cook.
    If anything Apple should focus on computer equipment not expensive watches or cars...
    elijahgdysamoriaIronheadtokyojimuaylkargonaut
  • Reply 63 of 225
    sog35 said:
    I hate beating a dead horse but this is just another example of Tim Cook's Apple.

    Total lack of vision.
    Total lack of the importance of ecosystem.
    Total lack of understanding why even low margin products like routers are important.

    Seems like all Cook cares about is margins and pushing his social agenda.

    Products like Routers, monitors, ect may not be very profitable but it strengthens the Apple ecosystem. The stronger the ecosystem the more sticky the brand becomes. It blows my mind that Tim Cook does not understand this basic concept. Either that or he does understand it but does not care.
    Surely you must be joking... you LOVE beating dead horses!
    tokyojimuration al
  • Reply 64 of 225
    Argh. I know that these weren't the absolute best performing routers available, but I always did like them. I've had a couple over the years and they were reliable and extremely easy to set up, while still having some useful capabilities if you dived into the options. And, I might be the only one still doing it, but I use the Airport Expresses to connect my dumb speakers and make them airplay usable. That's going to be a bummer when those finally fail.
    elijahgdysamoriatokyojimurare commentbrucemcargonaut
  • Reply 65 of 225
    Only thing which can be said about this is WTF.  Nobody wants to deal with the crappy alternatives out there, in terms of ease of use/configuration.  So what alternatives will Apple suggest?  bummer move
    dysamoria
  • Reply 66 of 225
    VSzulcVSzulc Posts: 32unconfirmed, member

    sirozha said:

    Obviously, under the bean-counter-in-chief, anything that doesn't rake in cash gets nixed. 


    Apple is about:
    1. Focus
    2. Making the best products it can

    FOCUS:  Apple puts a lot of energy into only a few products.  It always cuts out the fat. 


    Nonsense... There are plenty of products just as "unfocused" as the Airport routers.

    (Apple Car anyone? Tim Cooks multibillion dollar boondoggle which apparently crashed recently.)

    How about the Apple iPhone/iPad cases? The Apple extended battery case, which granted, is uniquely hideous, but aside from that doesn't offer anything that isn't available from other vendors. The iPhone bands, The Keyboard case for the iPad, the iPhone stands. The myriad of adapters that is turning out to be Apples most numerous product lately, or heck: The Beats purchase.

    For that matter you could also bring up FileMaker Pro, or Final Cut Pro. Or how about 2 different sized iPhones, 2 iPod products and 4 different iPads? Care to tell me why there's an iPad mini, iPad Air, and two kinds of "pro" iPads?

    None of these products are more essential or focused than the Airport Routers (Except for possibly the software) and if Apple "always cuts out the fat" then they have been doing an extremely poor job lately.
    elijahgdysamoriaaylk
  • Reply 67 of 225
    longpath said:
    Since it seems that a sizable chunk of the router team was folded into the Apple TV team, and the direction of the 4th gen Apple TV seems to be as a control hub for HomeKit, perhaps a 5th gen Apple TV would be a merger of Airport and Apple TV. I know, I'm looking for a silver lining.
    This is my thinking, and imagine the new rumoured echo competitor on which they're purportedly working, perhaps another product that could support a less centralised wireless network. iOS 7 introduced MultipeerConnectivity which supports this idea, and this article claims Apple is leading the industry in supporting mesh networking, so it's not out of the realm of possibility that something bigger is coming. Meanwhile, they continue to sell their current products (they haven't discontinued them).
    canukstormargonaut
  • Reply 68 of 225
    jvmbjvmb Posts: 59member
    jgz1965 said:
    What happened to the Airport products downloading sw updates so that wait times were reduced? In other words Apple can add functionality, like the USB and audio jacks, that makes these products compelling. Seems kind of strange to end these products, displays and (my MASSIVE annoyance) Aperture for no reason. Hey folks, buy are products, oops, nevermind, go bbuy someone else's stuff which we told wasn't any good.
    Mac OS Server can cache software updates, but it would be a lot easier if that functionality was built in the router. The main reason my Mac Mini is always on is to support caching.
  • Reply 69 of 225
    jdgazjdgaz Posts: 403member
    Loved being all Apple behind the cable modem. Had hoped for Apple to move to mesh to make my home experience even better. Now who to trust? Before it was simple. Just go to Apple. Now a whole new ball game.
    dysamoria
  • Reply 70 of 225
    jvmbjvmb Posts: 59member


    Airport is being nixed because:
    1. Macs, iPhones, iPads, Apple Watch and AppleTV can adapt to any router.  
    2. Time Machine always worked best with a hard drive directly attached to the Mac - not on Airport
    3. iCloud has taken on much of the remaining functionality of Airport.
    4. Other companies can make cheaper routers that work "good enough" that Apple doesn't have to compete in this area and can focus on their core.

    1. IPhone can not send music to the audio output of other routers
    2. Wireless back up works anytime you connect to wifi, DAS backup only works when you are connected. Apple just not want you to connect USB-A devices, that is why they took away the USB-A ports. When my got a Macbook, I gave her an external drives for backups. She never backed up her machine. Now we use a time capsule and he machine is always backed up.
    3. ICloud does not open the ports I need to run Mac OS server or airplay automatically, iCloud does not provide an easy to use app to set up my router.
    4. I agree that others can make decent routers. When it comes to radios, they are probably better. I hope that Apple at least works with them to create Apple configurations for those routers that enable time machine for attached drives and set up port forwarding for Apple services.
    elijahg
  • Reply 71 of 225
    nubusnubus Posts: 355member

    Airport is being nixed because:
    1. Macs, iPhones, iPads, Apple Watch and AppleTV can adapt to any router.  
    2. Time Machine always worked best with a hard drive directly attached to the Mac - not on Airport
    Macs could always be connected to any display. Yet, Apple continued to develop and innovate by being able to offer the complete solution. Like being able to stack a computer and a monitor - or integrate audio and display in one cable. Now we're left with the ugly LG display.

    Same happened on laptop docks. Apple exited the business. We moved from the complete solution of Duo+Dock into 20 years of cables and even now we're not back at the level of performance and integration offered by Apple. Both Dell and HP have docks. Both provide the full solution - at least in hardware. Apple doesn't.

    I always hoped Phil Schiller would do one more jump :smile: 
    dysamoriaaylk
  • Reply 72 of 225
    VSzulcVSzulc Posts: 32unconfirmed, member
    So does anyone still doubt that Tim Cook is the wrong CEO for Apple? 

    Bad software decisions and ignoring the Mac has been driving away a core group of customers: Professionals, and now he's tearing away at one of the foundations of the Apple ecosystem.

    The Airport routers weren't just about making a profit for Apple (though they surely did, and a handsome one too!).

    They were the Routers that a Genius could point to, if anyone was having trouble with their network or backups. They just worked, like the Mac.

    They locked a customer gladly and willingly into the ecosystem, and ensured that the next computer they got also was a Mac. Or an Apple TV over a Roku. 

    Apples one advantage, was always the integration of hardware and software, and the integration of hardware with other hardware. 

    Unfortunately Tim Cook seems to be too focused on short term profits. I worry about how shortsighted he is.
    elijahgdysamoriaIronheadlogic2.6Habi_tweet
  • Reply 73 of 225
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
     If Apple released the AirPort Extreme today, everyone here would be saying how crap it was compared to every other router on the market. 

    I've got three of these things, so this is very sad news. But I can understand it, what with Apple being down to its last two hundred billion. 

    But there is a problem with the product. As others have said, most ISPs supply a combined modem and wifi router, so there is little need to buy one.  The airport capsule always struck me as a bit pointless: What use is a backup drive if it lives in the same building as the machines you're backing up?

    The Airport is also the only router that needs a dedicated app to configure it; every other one can be configured by a web browser as soon as you power it up. That's a little strange. The range isn't brilliant, but they are rock solid, which I think is more important. 

    I suspect that Apple will team up with a manufacturer (or maybe more than one) to make sure that their products are i-friendly, but don't expect them to be pretty. 
    edited November 2016 macxpressbrucemc
  • Reply 74 of 225
    flaneurflaneur Posts: 4,526member
    VSzulc said:
    slurpy said:
    To me, it's actually exciting that Apple is axing products left and right. It means that they're needing the resources to focus on something that is truly worth killing these products for. Also, goes against the notion that Apple's primary focus is simpy making money, and being money hungry. This is a company that can make an extra few billion by slapping their logo on products like routers and displays, but they chose not to because they don't feel the need to remain in every market if they aren't making a highly differentiated product than everyone else.

    What on earth are you talking about?!? "Needing the resources"? Apples mancount  has exploded in the last 5 years. If anything they're bloated.
    And of course you know exactly who all those hires were and what their jobs are. 

    It's far more reasonable to believe that Apple is constrained in qualified personnel, else why would they be building that new little additional campus in Cupertino? One hears of teams scattered all over at present, crowded into too small quarters, and one also hears of shortages of good engineers.

    Such arrogance to think you know. It's clearly just your knee-jerk anti-corporatism that misleads you into your corrosive views.
    edited November 2016 williamlondonmacxpresspscooter63argonaut
  • Reply 74 of 225
    Apple routers never allowed for quality of service management, i.e., limiting bandwidth by SSID. Because of that, they were never used outside of the home, or in tightly managed workplaces where they were kept independent of more secure wireless networks. #ByeAirPort #SorrySteveJobs
  • Reply 76 of 225
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    ireland said:
    blastdoor said:
    Makes sense -- now that apple is going after the coffetable book market, things like wireless routers and displays need to be axed. 
    You're being sarcastic but also a bit shallow in your thinking. This book serves many purposes for Apple. It's nothing to do with money made or lost from it.
    Well one Inge for sure, they should have waited until after the holidays before letting this out. I was just thinking about picking up a new time capsule, and now ... Not. I can't invest in unsupported hardware anymore. Now I'm going to have to plan a new wireless backup strategy.

    Then again, Apples focus is on the cloud for backup, so maybe this is to encourage users to adopt iCloud packages this Christmas, rather than plug in a new TC or router. But, that will definitely cut into sales liquidating old hardware at premium prices. So Apple did us a favor?


    edited November 2016 dysamoria
  • Reply 77 of 225
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member
    sog35 said:
    macxpress said:
    blastdoor said:
    This utterly sucks, I have recently been through 5 different routers from other vendors , all of which were complete shit. Two weeks ago I gave the AirPort Extreme a go and all my wifi problems are now fixed. 
    Agreed. 

    Perhaps their logic here is that most people use the wireless router that comes from their ISP. That's probably true. 

    However, for anyone who wants to do anything else AND is in the Apple ecosystem, Apple's routers are awesome. They're an important part of the ecosystem. 

    If Apple starts taking the axe to individual trees without regard for the forest, they're going to undermine their ecosystem. It's the ecosystem that allows them to hold on to customers. 

    Displays -- chop, chop.
    Routers -- chop, chop. 
    What's next? 
    Explain to me how they're important? What do they do that other ones can't do? I don't get this an AirPort is part of their ecosystem logic. I use a Linksys WRT AC1200 and Apple's ecosystem works perfectly fine. What am I missing? Are you concerned about Time Machine backups? Is that it? 
    Me like many others just like to buy Apple products. They are just so easy to use and you know you get good customer support on them.

    I've owned other routers and it was a total pain to setup and maintain. My router would have to be restarted at least once a month. With my Airport it has been plug and play. So easy to work with. 
    This doesn't answer my question. My Linksys router was plug n play. The only difference is I can't use Apple's shitty Airport Setup Utility to make changes...which I don't care for anyways. In past years they bastardized it so much you can't do anything with it. 
    edited November 2016 williamlondon
  • Reply 78 of 225
    elijahgelijahg Posts: 2,753member
    So how long until AirPlay to AEBSs will be axed? Are Macs next? About time both Cook and Ive are shown the door IMO. All my Apple routers are infinitely more reliable than anything from other companies - unless you pay hundreds for commercial gear.
    edited November 2016 dysamoria
  • Reply 79 of 225
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    VSzulc said:
    slurpy said:
    To me, it's actually exciting that Apple is axing products left and right. It means that they're needing the resources to focus on something that is truly worth killing these products for. Also, goes against the notion that Apple's primary focus is simpy making money, and being money hungry. This is a company that can make an extra few billion by slapping their logo on products like routers and displays, but they chose not to because they don't feel the need to remain in every market if they aren't making a highly differentiated product than everyone else.

    What on earth are you talking about?!? "Needing the resources"? Apples mancount  has exploded in the last 5 years. If anything they're bloated.
    The increased headcount is mainly support and retail in new and existing markets. 
    williamlondondysamoria
  • Reply 80 of 225
    slurpy said:
    To me, it's actually exciting that Apple is axing products left and right. It means that they're needing the resources to focus on something that is truly worth killing these products for. Also, goes against the notion that Apple's primary focus is simpy making money, and being money hungry. This is a company that can make an extra few billion by slapping their logo on products like routers and displays, but they chose not to because they don't feel the need to remain in every market if they aren't making a highly differentiated product than everyone else.
    While I very much hope that what you're saying is true, I'd still be pretty disappointed if Apple stops selling routers.

    Real question: will airport expresses work ok as wifi extenders? I have an airport extreme, but the signal isn't reaching the outside of my home where I'm trying to install security cameras (also my Ring doorbell). All the other routers on the market are pretty ugly, and I don't want to have to worry about a complicated set up, so I'm planning on picking up a couple airport expresses. Even if they might not be as efficient as the strange looking routers with antennas, I prefer to use them for the aesthetics, ease of use, and because they're Apple, and I hope Apple doesn't stop selling them.
    dysamoriaration alargonaut
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