Apple's Airport Extreme: Why Did Apple Abandon This Product?

Apple's AirPort Extreme is a discontinued line of residential gateways that combine the functions of a router, network switch, wireless access point, and NAS, along with other features. Apple introduced the AirPort line in 1999, and the first AirPort Extreme Base Station was released in 2003. The AirPort Extreme remained Apple's primary Wi-Fi router, with the sixth generation released in 2013, supporting 802.11ac networking. However, in 2016, Apple disbanded its wireless router team, and in 2018, the company formally discontinued all AirPort products, exiting the consumer router market. Despite the discontinuation, some users continue to use and discuss the performance and security of the AirPort Extreme even in 2022.

Apple discontinued the AirPort Extreme in 2018

Apple's AirPort Extreme was a line of residential gateways that combined the functions of a router, network switch, wireless access point, and NAS, as well as other functions. The AirPort Extreme was first announced at the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco on January 7, 2003, and was released on January 9, 2007. It featured 802.11g wireless technology for the first time in an AirPort base station.

The AirPort Extreme remained Apple's primary Wi-Fi router, and it was updated several times over the years to include features such as simultaneous dual-band broadcasting, support for up to 50 simultaneous connections, and improvements to its antenna.

However, in 2016, Apple disbanded its wireless router team, and in April 2018, Apple announced the discontinuation of its AirPort line, including the AirPort Extreme. This marked Apple's exit from the consumer router market. The remaining inventory of AirPort products was sold off, and Apple began retailing routers from Linksys, Netgear, and Eero in its stores.

Despite the discontinuation, some users continue to use their AirPort Extreme routers, and Apple continues to provide limited hardware and software support for the product as of 2023.

The AirPort Extreme was first introduced in 1999

Apple introduced the AirPort line in 1999. The AirPort Extreme was first announced at the MacWorld expo in San Francisco on January 7, 2003. It featured 802.11g wireless technology for the first time in an AirPort base station. The name "AirPort Extreme" originally referred to any of Apple's AirPort products that implemented the newly introduced 802.11g Wi-Fi standard, differentiating it from earlier devices that ran the slower 802.11a and b standards. The AirPort Extreme was based on the 802.11g specification, using Broadcom's BCM4306/BCM2050 two-chip solution.

The original AirPort Base Station, known as Graphite, was released on July 21, 1999, and featured a dial-up modem and an Ethernet port. It employed a Lucent WaveLAN Silver PC Card as the Radio and used an embedded AMD Élan SC410 processor. The Graphite AirPort Base Station is functionally identical to the Lucent RG-1000 wireless base station and can run the same firmware. The AirPort Disk feature, introduced in 2003, allows users to plug a USB hard drive into the AirPort Extreme for use as a network-attached storage (NAS) device for Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows clients.

The first AirPort Extreme was followed by several minor upgrades, mostly to change the antenna and wireless output power. In 2013, a major upgrade changed the physical structure of the device, added 802.11ac support, and added more antennas. On January 9, 2007, the AirPort Extreme began shipping with support for 802.11n draft specification and a built-in wireless print and storage server. On March 19, 2008, Apple released a firmware update for both models of the AirPort Extreme that allowed AirPort Disks to be used in conjunction with Time Machine, similar to the functionality provided by the AirPort Time Capsule.

In 2018, Apple discontinued the AirPort line, exiting the consumer router market. The remaining inventory was sold off, and Apple later retailed routers from Linksys, Netgear, and Eero in Apple retail stores.

The AirPort Extreme is a secure router

Apple introduced the AirPort line in 1999, which included the AirPort Extreme. The AirPort Extreme is a residential gateway that combines the functions of a router, network switch, wireless access point, and NAS, as well as other functions. Apple discontinued the AirPort Extreme in 2018, selling off its remaining inventory and retailing routers from other companies in its stores.

However, there are some concerns about the security of the AirPort Extreme due to the lack of updates. The last security update for the AirPort Extreme was released in 2019. Some users have expressed worries about security liabilities when there are no software updates or firmware updates for the base station.

Overall, the AirPort Extreme is a secure router, but it is important to stay up-to-date with the latest security updates and best practices to ensure the highest level of security.

The AirPort Extreme was Apple's primary Wi-Fi router

Apple Inc. introduced the AirPort line in 1999. The AirPort Extreme was a line of residential gateways that combined the functions of a router, network switch, wireless access point, NAS, and other functions. It was Apple's primary Wi-Fi router.

The first AirPort Extreme Base Station was released in 2003 and had the same shape as the original AirPort. However, it added an external antenna connector and a USB port to the device. In 2004, Apple released a version of its AirPort Extreme Base Station Wi-Fi router that supported Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology. The AirPort Extreme was given a new design in 2007, and this new square shape with rounded corners saw improvements from a 802.11b/g wireless standard to a 802.11a/b/g/n wireless standard. This new design was labeled the first generation of the Apple AirPort Extreme, with the 2003 model considered the "original" that kept Base Station as part of its name.

The second generation of the AirPort Extreme Apple router was released in 2007, bringing Gigabit Ethernet to the device. The third and fourth generations of the AirPort Extreme both came out in 2009, and the fifth generation came out in 2011. These models introduced antenna improvements and the ability to use Time Machine, which let users back up an Apple computer to an external device. The latest model, the 6th generation, supports 802.11ac networking in addition to older standards.

In 2016, Apple disbanded its wireless router team. In 2018, Apple discontinued the AirPort line, exiting the router market. The remaining inventory was sold off, and Apple later retailed routers from Linksys, Netgear, and Eero in Apple retail stores.

The AirPort Extreme's last update was in 2013

Apple's AirPort Extreme is a line of residential gateways that combine the functions of a router, network switch, wireless access point, and NAS, as well as other functions. The AirPort Extreme was first announced at the MacWorld expo in San Francisco on January 7, 2003. The first AirPort Extreme Base Station had an external antenna connector and a USB port.

The last update to the AirPort Extreme was in 2013, when the sixth generation was released. This new tower model featured a rectangular shape and was much larger than previous generations. The 2013 update added speed and additional USB ports to the AirPort Extreme. However, it was the last hardware update ever made to the AirPort routers.

In 2016, Apple disbanded its wireless router team and stopped developing its lineup of wireless routers. It took two more years for Apple to stop producing its Wi-Fi routers, but they were officially discontinued in 2018. Despite the discontinuation, Apple continues to provide limited hardware and software support for the AirPort Extreme as of 2023.

The AirPort Extreme has not received any updates for several years, and users have expressed concerns about its age and lack of updates. However, it is still considered a great router, offering inherent security and the ability to handle up to 50 simultaneous connections.

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