Apple has officially concluded the development of its AirPort line, encompassing the AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme, and AirPort Time Capsule. According to an Apple spokesperson, these products will remain available through the Apple website, retail stores, and authorized resellers until supplies last.
The last updates to the AirPort products occurred in 2012 for the Express and 2013 for the Extreme and Time Capsule. Reports from late 2016 indicated that Apple had ceased development on the AirPort lineup, with its engineers reassigned to other initiatives.
This move was part of a broader strategy to focus on more profitable consumer products. Following the discontinuation of the AirPort unit, Apple started offering third-party routers in January 2018, beginning with the Linksys Velop Mesh Wi-Fi System.
Despite the discontinuation, the AirPort base stations provided unique features, such as built-in Time Machine backup support and AirPlay functionality, which were not fully replicated in third-party options. Although the AirPort line is being phased out, Apple has committed to providing service and parts for current-generation AirPort Base Stations for the next five years.
In the coming weeks, Apple plans to release knowledge-base articles to aid customers transitioning from the AirPort product line. The three AirPort products will continue to be sold online and in physical stores until stock runs out, and no price reductions have been announced.
Additionally, Apple has released a new support document featuring recommendations on selecting Wi-Fi routers compatible with Apple devices, highlighting the importance of features such as 802.11ac, dual-band support, WPA2 Personal encryption, and MIMO or MU-MIMO capabilities.
Leave a Reply