AirPort Extreme

Apple Officially Discontinues AirPort Routers →

April 27, 2018 · 13:28

Zac Hall received Apple’s official statement on the topic of their AirPort routers:

We’re discontinuing the Apple AirPort base station products. They will be available through Apple.com, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers while supplies last.

I’m surprised they chose to exit this market, especially since integrating mesh Wi-Fi into their existing products could be such a huge feature. I’d love for my HomePods and Apple TVs to extend the internet automatically in and around my house. This would additionaly be a great incite to actually buy more HomePods and would allow people to have less clutter in their houses.

Choosing a Wi-Fi Router to Use With Apple Devices →

April 27, 2018 · 13:22

Apple Support:

For the most compatibility, reliability, and performance when used with Apple devices, look for a Wi-Fi router that offers these features…

If you just have a regular-sized apartment, just get a good 802.11ac router from a reputable manufacturer, but if you need great coverage over a larger area, mesh Wi-Fi, such as Eero or their competitors, is the way to go. Personally, I wouldn’t ever get Google’s WiFi mesh solution — I simply wouldn’t trust them with so much of my data.

If you are however looking for a Time Capsule replacement, just additionally get a 2 or 4-bay QNAP NAS and configure the Time Machine backup feature on it. I have been using mine for years now and it has been flawless, better than Apple’s own product, which required me to reset my backups every few months, due to some sort of error.

Apple Abandons Development of Wireless Routers →

November 21, 2016 · 15:51

Mark Gurman:

Apple Inc. has disbanded its division that develops wireless routers, another move to try to sharpen the company’s focus on consumer products that generate the bulk of its revenue, according to people familiar with the matter.

Apple began shutting down the wireless router team over the past year, dispersing engineers to other product development groups, including the one handling the Apple TV, said the people, who asked not to be named because the decision hasn’t been publicly announced.

This is bad. Perhaps even the-beginning-of-the-end-of-focusing-on-the-Mac bad. I am also starting to doubt we’ll ever see another Mac Pro or Mini.