#AIRPORT EXPRESS ETHERNET PORTS MAC#

AirPlay 2 support would be a nice perk for existing AirPort Express users, but shipping a major new feature for a recently discontinued product would be odd (but still welcome!). Support appeared to be present when used with an unreleased firmware update. There is also an existing market of peer-to-peer AirPlay speakers, but reliability of AirPlay 1 with third-party speakers is mixed at best.Īpple officially discontinuing AirPort Express adds a new layer of uncertainty to the brief appearance of AirPlay 2 support seen in iOS 11.4 beta.

#AIRPORT EXPRESS ETHERNET PORTS MAC#

AirPort Express let you turn any stereo into an AirPlay speaker with line-in, and USB printers could be shared across the network and accessed from Macs.ĪirPort Time Capsule included a 2TB or 3TB drive for automatically backing up your Mac over Wi-Fi with Time Machine, and AirPort Extreme let you easily connect a USB hard drive to your network for the same feature.ĪirPrint printers have since replaced the need for networking USB printers with AirPort Express, however, and these add support for printing from iOS.Īpple now offers its own AirPlay speaker with HomePod, and AirPlay 2 will bring even more options to market including Apple TV-connected speakers, new Sonos speakers, upcoming Beats speakers, and more. Premium price and lack of hardware revisions in recent years aside, Apple’s AirPort products did offer some unique and superior features to competing routers.Īpple’s AirPort Utility app (which needs updating for iPhone X and larger iPads) and iOS Wi-Fi Settings integration made setting up and managing AirPort routers simpler than most third-party routers with clunky apps. Apple could always choose to reenter the market if it decides it can make a meaningful impact, but for now Apple is conceding the market to ISP-supplied routers and other third-party solutions.

Apple sells AirPort Express for $99, AirPort Extreme for $199, 2TB AirPort Time Capsule at $299, and 3TB AirPort Time Capsule at $399.Ĭustomers can still expect these products to be supported for years to come, but not indefinitely and new hardware revisions are not coming. There’s no price drop from Apple either, although other retailers may choose to mark down the discontinued hardware. Original UFO-style AirPort router with add-on AirPort cards for MacĪpple and third-party vendors will continue to sell the AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme, and AirPort Time Capsule, but only while supplies last. So why discontinue the AirPort line today and not sooner? That’s unclear, but Apple’s formal announcement confirms what was already largely accepted: the AirPort line is dead. Connectivity is important in the home and we are giving customers yet another option that is well suited for larger homes. People love our AirPort products and we continue to sell them. While the news is disappointing for fans of Apple’s routers, the end of the AirPort line is no surprise either.īloomberg reported back in November 2016 that Apple had disbanded the team responsible for developing Apple’s routers, and in January 9to5Mac was first to report that Apple Stores started selling third-party mesh Wi-Fi routers from Linksys.Īt the time, Apple told us that its AirPort line would remain - with the mesh Wi-Fi routers adding a solution for larger homes: They will be available through, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers while supplies last. We’re discontinuing the Apple AirPort base station products. Apple shared the news in a statement to 9to5Mac: This includes the AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme, and both models of AirPort Time Capsule. Apple is officially exiting the wireless router business and selling off its remaining inventory of AirPort products.

Airport express ethernet ports