#Apple airport pro

BEHOLD, A HOMEPOD WITH A SCREEN! (We pay this artist a lot of money).įor all intents and purposes, the Cupertino firm shuttered its division responsible for routers all the way back in 2016. Instead, the company knows most Apple users don’t have homes brimming with its smart speakers, so that avenue of using them to create a mesh network is currently off the cards.Īs it can’t look to this for differentiation, Apple would need to search elsewhere - and this is where other technical limitations arise. Maybe if the business had released a HomePod with a screen, things would be different. If we look to Google, a company thriving in this space, the reason its Nest Wi-Fi mesh network has been so successful is because people have widely adopted its smart home products, from the Nest Mini to the Home Max.Īpple simply doesn’t have this advantage. Using iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks as nodes would be too battery taxing (let alone unreliable, as they’re constantly moving). The aforementioned idea of meshing Apple products gets us close - as will expected features like an improved setup experience - but we bump into another problem: there aren’t enough home-based devices to provide an attractive mesh option. For the new AirPort router range to be worthwhile for the average user, they need to deliver something beyond what other companies are doing with their networking equipment. And if the company wants to get its beloved ‘ Apple tax’ and deliver a comparable experience, the new AirPort units will be bum-clenchungly expensive. The point here is that mesh networking doesn’t come cheap. This is a pic of the Linksys Velop, a mesh system that even looks a tiny bit ‘Apple.’ For example, it’s currently selling a Linksys Velop mesh system with three units for $500. When Apple shuttered the AirPort range, it began retailing other companies’ routers as a replacement. Shockingly, let’s start with the first: technical limitations. It’s a fantastic idea - but it’s not gonna happen. In terms of providing a Wi-Fi signal in your home, the company could release an updated AirPort router that then connects to other Apple devices (like the HomePod Mini), creating a mesh network covering your whole house. The company has already done something similar with its AirTags, as it uses a mesh of Apple devices to locate the trackers. There’s some sense in this by itself, but the aspect of Gurman’s reasoning that appealed to me most was the suggestion that Apple should develop a mesh system using its devices.

#Apple airport pro

This is the AirPort Express, which was both capable of AirPlay and being a wireless access point.Įffectively, Gurman argues that now Apple has finally pulled its head out of its arse with its Mac range (ergo, dropping irritations like the Touch Bar and the Butterfly Keyboard, while improving the MacBook Pro and introducing the M1 chip), the time is nigh for the company to take another look at networking. In a piece published earlier this week, the renowned Apple analyst and leaker called for the company to reintroduce Wi-Fi routers as part of its product portfolio.Īnd, honestly? The argument for this relaunch is compelling. Back in 2018, Apple bowed out of the networking game entirely and discontinued its AirPort and Time Capsule line-up.īesides me, one who hasn’t let this slide is Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.