Lois Larson
Apple's AirPort Extreme is a residential gateway that combines the functions of a router, network switch, wireless access point, and NAS. The first AirPort Extreme was announced at the MacWorld expo in 2003 and featured 802.11g wireless technology. Over the years, Apple released new generations of the AirPort Extreme, with the latest model supporting 802.11ac networking. However, in 2016, Apple disbanded the team that developed the AirPort Extreme and, in 2018, the company formally discontinued the product, exiting the router market. Despite this, the AirPort Extreme left its mark on the industry, with many newer routers taking design cues from its sleek and elegant form factor.
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What You'll Learn
Apple discontinued the Airport Extreme in 2018
The AirPort Extreme is a residential gateway device from Apple Inc. that combines the functions of a router, network switch, wireless access point, and NAS. The first AirPort Extreme was announced in 2003 and featured 802.11g wireless technology.
In 2016, Apple disbanded the wireless router team responsible for the AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule. This decision was made to sharpen the company's focus on consumer products that generate the bulk of its revenue. At the time, Bloomberg News noted that "Apple rarely discontinues product categories" and that its exit from the router business was unexpected.
Despite this, Apple continued to sell its existing inventory of AirPort products and provided technical support and warranty services. However, in 2018, Apple officially discontinued the AirPort Extreme, along with its other AirPort products, including the AirPort Express and AirPort Time Capsule. This marked Apple's exit from the consumer router market.
While the AirPort Extreme and its AirPort brethren were discontinued, the technology developed for these products has lived on in many other Apple devices. For instance, AirPlay and other wireless technology in Apple TV have origins in the AirPort Express router. Similarly, AirDrop and the sharing of files and data between Apple devices can be traced back to the AirPort Time Capsule.
Although Apple no longer sells AirPort routers, users who still own these devices can continue to use them. Additionally, Apple has continued to provide limited hardware and software support, including bug fixes and security patches, even after discontinuing the product line.
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The Airport Extreme is a Wi-Fi router
The Airport Extreme combines the functions of a router, network switch, wireless access point, and NAS. It has three Gigabit LAN ports and one Gigabit WAN port, as well as a USB 2.0 port. The USB port can be used to host an external hard drive or a printer, although the performance of USB hard drives is slower than if the drive was connected directly to a computer.
The Airport Extreme was known for its elegant design and ease of use, and it was one of the fastest and most reliable Wi-Fi routers when it was released. However, it lacked some features such as support for Time Machine backup and media streaming via the USB storage.
In 2016, Apple disbanded the team that developed the Airport Extreme and other wireless routers, and in 2018, Apple formally discontinued the product line, exiting the router market. While the Airport Extreme is no longer available, it played a significant role in the evolution of Wi-Fi routers, and its design and functionality have influenced many newer routers.
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The Airport Extreme has an audio jack for AirPlay
The Airport Extreme is a residential gateway device that combines the functions of a router, network switch, wireless access point, and NAS. Apple Inc. developed the device, releasing the first generation in 2003.
While the Airport Extreme supports audio output through the audio jack, it is important to note that it does not have any built-in speakers or audio output capabilities of its own. Instead, it acts as a conduit for transmitting audio signals to external speakers or audio devices. This distinction is essential, as it means that the Airport Extreme itself does not produce sound but rather facilitates the wireless transmission of audio to compatible output devices.
The audio jack on the Airport Extreme provides a convenient way to utilize AirPlay, a wireless streaming technology developed by Apple. AirPlay allows users to stream audio and video content from their Apple devices to compatible receivers. By connecting speakers to the Airport Extreme's audio jack, users can wirelessly send music or other audio content from their Mac or iOS devices for playback on those speakers.
It is worth noting that while the audio jack on the Airport Extreme enables AirPlay functionality, the device itself does not support AirPlay 2, the latest version of the protocol. For AirPlay 2 support, users may need to consider other Apple devices or third-party alternatives, such as the Airport Express or audio adapters with AirPlay 2 support.
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The Airport Extreme can connect to a USB hard drive
The Airport Extreme is a wireless router by Apple Inc. that combines the functions of a router, network switch, wireless access point, and NAS, as well as other functions. Versions of the same system with a built-in network-accessible hard drive are known as the AirPort Time Capsule.
To connect a USB hard drive to the Airport Extreme, you must first ensure that the Airport Extreme is turned on and correctly configured. You can then open the Airport Utility application and click on "Manual Setup". Click on "Disks" and verify that the hard drive you connected is shown in the pane. Click on "File Sharing" and select the "Enable file sharing" checkbox.
Connecting a USB hard drive to the Airport Extreme creates a network drive that can be accessed by all users connected to the wireless network. This allows for easy sharing of documents, photos, music, and movies with other people on the network.
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The Airport Extreme is a line of residential gateways
The original Airport Extreme Base Station was released in 2003 and was named as such because it supported the 802.11g standard and could serve up to 50 Macs or PCs simultaneously. It was the only generation to use the "flying saucer" form factor, with later generations adopting a short, rounded-square form factor. The 6th generation Airport Extreme, released in 2013, featured three-stream 802.11ac Wi-Fi technology with a maximum data rate of 1.3 Gbit/s, which is nearly three times faster than 802.11n.
The Airport Extreme has been praised for its elegant design, ease of use, and solid performance, especially for Apple fans with 802.11ac-enabled devices. However, it has also been criticized for its lack of features, such as common networking customizations and support for Time Machine backup and media streaming when coupled with an external hard drive.
In 2016, Apple disbanded the team responsible for developing the Airport Extreme and other wireless routers, and in 2018, the company formally discontinued the product line, exiting the router market. While the Airport Extreme is no longer available, it played a significant role in ushering in simple-to-use Wi-Fi networking and influenced the design of many subsequent routers.
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Frequently asked questions
AirPort Extreme is a line of products made by Apple Inc. that combine the functions of a router, network switch, wireless access point, and NAS, as well as other functions.
The AirPort Extreme base station supports 802.11ac Wi-Fi and is easy to use. It has three Gigabit LAN ports and one Gigabit WAN port. It also has a USB 2.0 port to host an external hard drive or a printer.
Apple discontinued the AirPort Extreme in 2018 and exited the router market. However, the product was still available for purchase from Apple and third-party vendors while supplies lasted.
