Last remaining AirPort Wi-Fi accessories no longer on sale from Apple

AppleInsider · November 16, 2018 10:05PM

Apple has stopped selling the last two products in its AirPort networking line, the AirPort Extreme and the Time Capsule, marking the end of an era.

The company officially discontinued those products and the AirPort Express in April, but said it would keep on selling remaining inventory until it was gone. The only way of getting one of the peripherals now is used or through a third-party vendor, as long they have their own stock.

Apple has promised continued software/firmware updates for the AirPort line in order to fix security and stability problems. An August update for the Express added AirPlay 2 support.

The company reportedly dissolved its AirPort division in 2016. Even at the time the development wasn't a surprise, as the AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule saw their last major refreshes in 2013, and the Express in 2012.

In place of its own Wi-Fi routers Apple has chosen to carry third-party models like the Linksys Velop.

wonkothesane · November 16, 2018 10:21PM

Sad to see it go for good. Nothing I know compares to the Apple products in terms of ease of use and design. At least, from a layman’s perspective. Don’t want to think about the day my time capsule or other airport stuff dies...

techprod1gy · November 16, 2018 10:27PM

wonkothesane said:

Sad to see it go for good. Nothing I know compares to the Apple products in terms of ease of use and design. At least, from a layman’s perspective. Don’t want to think about the day my time capsule or other airport stuff dies...

There are several products on the market that are just as good so I wouldn't worry about it too much.

epicurus · November 16, 2018 11:02PM

I was going to get the Velop but company o get stuff from was selling the Google Mesh Devices and were cheaper then others, i got a 3 pack one in each section of the home set up with my Mac system n devices was piece of cake. And when say watching Netflix or Hulu on the tv i can give the Tv wifi priority. I think had Apple jumped into the Mesh setup like the Velop they could have made a killing oh well

ElCapitan · November 16, 2018 11:07PM

Dismantling the ecosystem stone by stone. - The legacy of Timmy.

eliangonzal · November 16, 2018 11:35PM

ElCapitan said:

Dismantling the ecosystem stone by stone. - The legacy of Timmy.

An eye-rolling comment if there ever was one. Congrats.

ols · November 16, 2018 11:42PM

So when is “Time Machine” backup being removed from MacOS? It is not perfect but I works and that what I like

fastasleep · November 16, 2018 11:44PM

ols said:

So when is “Time Machine” backup being removed from MacOS? It is not perfect but I works and that what I like

Time Machine literally has nothing to do with AirPorts, so not sure why that'd be a thing. A Time Capsule was just network attached storage.

dewme · November 17, 2018 12:34AM

Other networking products may match or surpass Apple’s offerings in performance but no other vendor of products in this category that I’ve dealt with come anywhere near Apple in terms of ease of configuration, ease of updates, stability, reliability, and of course product support. I’ve had nothing but bad experiences with non-Apple router and WiFi access point vendors and feel like Apple is throwing us to the wolves by backing away from this market. I fear it’ll be a return to claptrap configuration, weekly firmware updates - some of which fail, routers that overheat, daily reboots, and clown show tech support. Not happy at all because now I’ll have to think about stuff that the AirPorts have quietly and reliably done for me without pestering me or pissing me off. Dammit. Grrrrrrr.

macxpress · November 17, 2018 12:34AM

ElCapitan said:

Dismantling the ecosystem stone by stone. - The legacy of Timmy.

Please tell me where the AirPort lies in terms of the ecosystem and why it's important? I'd love to hear. I'd be willing to bet more often than not, most Apple customers never used an AirPort or TimeCapsule which is most likely why Apple dropped it from its lineup in the first place.

macxpress · November 17, 2018 12:41AM

dewme said:

Other networking products may match or surpass Apple’s offerings in performance but no other vendor of products in this category that I’ve dealt with come anywhere near Apple in terms of ease of configuration, ease of updates, stability, reliability, and of course product support. I’ve had nothing but bad experiences with non-Apple router and WiFi access point vendors and feel like Apple is throwing us to the wolves by backing away from this market. I fear it’ll be a return to claptrap configuration, weekly firmware updates - some of which fail, routers that overheat, daily reboots, and clown show tech support. Not happy at all because now I’ll have to think about stuff that the AirPorts have quietly and reliably done for me without pestering me or pissing me off. Dammit. Grrrrrrr.

This doesn't mean you can't keep using your current AirPort/Time Capsule you know. Use it until it dies or no longer serves its purpose.

joegod · November 17, 2018 1:01AM

Linksys Velop hasn’t refined the ease of set up to the same high standard Apple has. The app and set up with Linksys is disappointing at best. However, when you do struggle through, it performs well. Guess I’m spoilt from years of “it just works” from Apple.

demitod · November 17, 2018 1:07AM

Yeah, but just like my eight year old Mac daddy specced Mac Book Pro, and before that that the iPod Nano’s and other great previous products, Apple will tell you they will no longer work or replace parts like a battery or upgrade your storage on your Die-Hard Apple device, meaning they we’re no longer willing to work on a MBP 15” that other than the older battery, still works like new. As far as being referred to 3rd party repair or dealing with a Best Buy on any repair or warranty, they can go suck it for not working on their own products!

chasm · November 17, 2018 1:17AM

It's a pity Apple chose to leave this market -- SECURE routers that aren't easily prey to spyware/hackware and that can resist data-collection by ISPs and DNS providers (coughGOOGLEcough) etc are more needed now than ever, and Apple had already built most of that in their AirPort line, and such devices would enhance Apple's existing reputation for user privacy first. But I get it -- the public still doesn't care that much about this stuff yet.

djkfisher · November 17, 2018 1:45AM

Well in another light, it is kind of like tires. When was the last time you saw GM, Ford, Chrysler etc. making tires for their vehicles. For Apple, I think the margins were quite small for all the effort.

frumious · November 17, 2018 1:48AM

Once again, Apple created a product category (or at least simplified it) that the vast public wasn't aware they needed yet. Then they failed to actively promote it to improve the Mac experience in the average home. Then they made the decision to phase it out. Then the streaming world and portables turned things upside down making the Apple original even more of an obviously needed product. And by then Apple had dropped its attention and moved elsewhere.

Such a damn shame, because it works so seamlessly with their entire product line, and is such a simple plug and play solution to a problem people commonly experience. Worse, by ceding this type of solution, they let their own customers go off the farm to other suppliers for such a common need. I've already bought cheap spares to hedge against unavailability in the immediate short term. I just don't understand why they so consistently shun nascent product markets that could potentially become much greater with proper promotion.

sflocal · November 17, 2018 2:55AM

So sad to see Apple retire such a great product. I bought dozens of Apple Extremes and Express routers over the years. We own apartment buildings, and supply free internet access to all the units. Each unit was connected to an Extreme router and Express routers where needed. They performed flawlessly, and never need to be touched once installed. Prior to using them, we went through countless DLink, Netgear, Linksys routers. They were horrible. Even being connected to a UPS, they were unstable, always required rebooting once a month (at least), and would fail for no reason. Absolute junk. Sure, Apple's routers costed more, but they were built in such a reliable way. They're all still running and keeping our tenants happy. Prior to that, was constant headaches and stress with the competitors. Such trash.

I hope there's still enough of a 2nd-hand market to buy more of them should the need arise. I don't know what competitor's product would compare.

lorin schultz · November 17, 2018 9:26AM

fastasleep said:

ols said:

So when is “Time Machine” backup being removed from MacOS? It is not perfect but I works and that what I like

Time Machine literally has nothing to do with AirPorts, so not sure why that'd be a thing. A Time Capsule was just network attached storage.

It's only a thing because so many third-party routers don't support Time Machine.

We had a big external drive plugged into the USB port on the Airport. Our new router doesn't even have a USB port. The one we tried before this one had a port and allowed setting up the drive as shared storage, but it would not work with Time Machine. Apparently there's something unique about Time Machine that the router must specifically support. Just because a router allows attached storage doesn't necessarily mean that Time Machine will work. The majority of routers we looked at didn't.

Not that we particularly miss it. Before we made the switch we wanted to make complete backups of all our computers. We started with mine, a Touch Bar MBP with about 750GB stored on it. When it still hadn't finished the initial backup after THREE DAYS we gave up on it.

xbit · November 17, 2018 10:19AM

This is such sad news. I don’t trust any other router manufacturer when it comes to the software side of things. This is a market that needs Apple.

(I’m also in mourning for Apple’s range of monitors and their print service. Oh well.)

bluefire1 · November 17, 2018 2:02PM

Loved the Apple routers for years. Hopefully the new Verizon Fios router I’m getting will serve me equally well.

GeorgeBMac · November 17, 2018 5:25PM

I would love to be on the inside of this decision to drop routers from their product line.

Especially with home automation proliferating, a secure and reliable WiFi becomes of increasing importance.
Or, is Apple expecting that 5G could take over that task?

I think there is more going on here than we know.

Last remaining AirPort Wi-Fi accessories no longer on sale from Apple

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