Apple disbands AirPort wireless router team, reassigns engineers

The main reason has been that AirPort routers focus more on integrating functionality with other Apple products and their own operating systems.

Apple may be killing off its Wi-Fi router business, according to a report that suggests the engineers who develop them are being reassigned to other divisions within the company. The AirPort Express Base Station hasn’t been updated since 2012. Since 1999, Apple has been creating AirPort routers. Apple may partner with a third-party company to offer recommended replacement routers in the same way it partnered with LG to produce the 4K and 5K USB-C displays for the new MacBook Pro.

That’s not to say Apple’s offerings don’t have their appeal to Mac users.

Bloomberg reports that this move is due to the insignificant revenue generation from the AirPort router lineup, and the company’s strategic push to focus on its money-making products only. The AirPort Express crossed notable milestones in networked audio, while the Time Capsule brought along fully-integrated network backups. For more standard routers, the Synology RT1900ac, the Asus RT-AC88U, and the Linksys WRT1900ACS are all options to consider. “There are not many access points out there that can handle the hundreds of connections at a time that you might see in the classroom”.

Google’s OnHub system, for example, launched past year while it recently just began accepting orders for its new Google Wifi home routers.

As part of a broader effort to refocus on products that contribute substantially to its bottom line, Apple is reportedly planning.

This isn’t the first example of Apple exiting a particular hardware category in recent months.

It’s unclear whether Apple plans to stop selling the routers altogether, as all three products are still available to pick up over at the firm’s online store.