Apple kills Wi-Fi router division, moves engineers to other projects

[Jos]

Apple is reportedly getting out of the wireless router business in a move to focus more on consumer products that generate the bulk of its revenue. According to Bloomberg, the company has disbanded the team that was working on wireless routers and moved engineers to other projects.

People familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that 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. Although the decision hasn’t been publicly announced, the internal changes suggest Apple has no plans to update the AirPort Extreme, Time Capsule, and AirPort Express products.

Apple hasn’t refreshed its routers since 2013 when it renamed the Time Capsule as AirPort Time Capsule and added support for the 802.11ac standard. Their portable AirPort Express on the other hand remains available to this day with last-generation 802.11n performance.

While the routers likely never sold in huge numbers they helped Apple deliver things like AirTunes (the tiny AirPort Express plugged directly into an outlet and had a headphone jack to plug to your speakers to sent music to another room over wireless) as well as seamless Time Machine backups (putting a hard drive into your its Wi-Fi router with the Time Capsule ) before there was AirPlay and iCloud.

Today, companies like Eero, Luma and Google are trying to innovate in the wireless routers scene with modular designs that work as part of a mesh network to cover larger homes, as well as more consumer friendly management through smartphone apps. It looks like Apple won’t be joining them in the fun.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/67120-apple-axes-wi-fi-router-division-moves-engineers.html

 

[MoeJoe]

Failing division is obvious.

 

[MonsterZero]

Most hideous router ever made?

 

[Bigtruckseries]

Apple's products typically get upgraded WiFi annually.
I wouldn't want to have a built in NAS and WiFi because independently they are easier to upgrade.

I use a 12TB WD My Cloud Mirror as a NAS and a Fios Router.

 

[petert]

Makes sense, I saw crapple fanboys pilling up whenever a new iphone is released, never saw them waiting in line to buy the latest apple router, guess you have to keep your fanboy army focussed.

 

[mojorisin23]

I had an apple extreme and express relay in my house for over a year. never worked right... airport utility was buggy and the router continuously dropped the connection. Never again.

 

[ForgottenLegion]

I had an apple extreme and express relay in my house for over a year. never worked right... airport utility was buggy and the router continuously dropped the connection. Never again.

Well you're obviously not doing it right. Apple products just work.

 

[ThomasTECH]

I see this as a big mistake for Apple. Wireless is the future of their most prominent products, and the industry of data communication. I also love the apple extreme and express. Both are very handy I have deployed dozens of both devices, how does Apple expect to guarantee wireless interoperability with their products without having their own WIFI engine and the engineers to keep their products competitive: and if they are smart proprietary in some feature sets.

 

[ATLVM]

Apple's products typically get upgraded WiFi annually.
I wouldn't want to have a built in NAS and WiFi because independently they are easier to upgrade.

I use a 12TB WD My Cloud Mirror as a NAS and a Fios Router.

Yeah because those standards change every year >rolling eyes<

some people just want to THINK they know something when they clearly don't

 

[ATLVM]

I had an apple extreme and express relay in my house for over a year. never worked right... airport utility was buggy and the router continuously dropped the connection. Never again.

Well you're obviously not doing it right. Apple products just work.

I had an apple extreme and express relay in my house for over a year. never worked right... airport utility was buggy and the router continuously dropped the connection. Never again.

Well you're obviously not doing it right. Apple products just work.

Either that or a android user that wants to complain about Apple.. Apple literally makes the most intuitive devices, I think people ASSUME easy is lack of features.. which is clearly wrong.

 

[Bigtruckseries]

Yeah because those standards change every year >rolling eyes<

some people just want to THINK they know something when they clearly don't

Some people are quick to reply to comments when they:

#1 don't matter

#2 are protected by an administrator's TOS - when "elsewhere" they'd be verbally humiliated in seconds.

 

[mojorisin23]

Either that or a android user that wants to complain about Apple.. Apple literally makes the most intuitive devices, I think people ASSUME easy is lack of features.. which is clearly wrong.

I have all apple devices... the utility would randomly say (no devices found) even though I was literally using the extreme while using utility. And google "extreme keeps dropping my connection" and you will find plenty of other people with the same problem. Stop drinking the kool-aid.... It was junk from day one...

On top of that I've had two iphones and have had the battery replaced (for free mind you because it was an apple issue) on three separate occasions.