Apple's AirPort router: More devices "obsolete" – waiting for successor
Apple's list of no longer supported devices has been expanded to include AirPort models. However, the rumor mill about new WLAN devices has not stopped.
AirPort Express from 2018: An Apple router with new technology would be something.
(Image: Apple)
Last week, Apple withdrew support for a number of once popular models from the AirPort wireless router series. The list of so-called obsolete products now includes the second generation of the compact AirPort Express base station, the AirPort Time Capsule models with 2 and 3 TByte and the AirPort Extreme WLAN router with 802.11ac.
No more help from Apple
"Obsolete" means that Apple will no longer provide any support –, not even in return for money and good words. Neither Apple itself nor its Authorized Service Providers (ASPs) still have spare parts available or can still order them. There are also no more repairs. Exceptions are some MacBooks, where at least the battery can still be replaced.
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With the update of the list, all the latest AirPort products are now no longer supported. Strangely enough, however, the first generation of AirPort Express with 802.11n is still "vintage" currently and is therefore still being serviced if spare parts are available. The reason for this initially remained unclear. All AirPort products now set to "obsolete" were withdrawn from the market by Apple in spring 2018. Since then, however, there has been a lively trade in the products on second-hand exchanges, as the hardware itself is considered popular and durable.
Security gaps – and the question of the successor
However, it is currently no longer advisable to use AirPort products. The reason for this are massive security gaps in the AirPlay protocol of the devices, which Apple no longer wants to plug – although users are demanding this. Researchers had discovered that devices can be completely taken over via AirPlay. However, older hardware no longer receives updates, while Apple has long since patched iPhone & Co.
Meanwhile, the rumor mill has long suspected that Apple is interested in new WLAN devices – or at least integrating router functionality into new models such as the planned "Home Hub". The manufacturer has been planning its Bluetooth and Wi-Fi combination chip for some time, which could then also be used as an access point, at least in theory. Whether there will also be fully-fledged routers in the style of the AirPort devices remains unclear.
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