It’s been coming for a long time. Since 2018 when Apple discontinued the Airport routers its been a ticking time bomb till it all would end for real. The hardware was excellent and I used all of it, the software was the ultimate Apple, simple and it just worked. I’ve had several types of Time Capsules which I used as a router and for Time machine backups and a plethora of Airport Express. I think I’ve had all the models, from the plug model to the Apple TV like puck. It was simple and elegant, in software but also the hardware. You could leave the white devices anywhere without becoming an eyesore.

As the writing was on the wall and the need to stay compatible with all the new hardware devices using later Wifi standards I switched to Ubiquity just more then a year ago. It was and still is the most Apple like experience when it comes to networking, even the unboxing experience is nearing Apple like standards. The software is a bit more complex as it also targets enterprises but for simple home use you don’t need to invest into learning all the networking details most of it works out of the box. The hardware also looks good, for my access points I had chosen the U6 Mesh as it had for me the best looks. It does not resemble a regular networking device and doesn’t gather attention.

As I still used an old Time Capsule, integrated in the Ubiquity network for my Time machine backups we started getting the warnings that from macOS 27 Golden Gate this wouldn’t work anymore. So when Ubiquity released their Unas 4 I waited to see how the reactions and real world experiences worked out. While there are some downsides for heavy usage it was sufficient for my requirements. I don’t need a NAS which can run all kinds of software, I just need storage. So I pulled the trigger a few weeks back when I got notice that they were back in stock (somehow it looks like they are popular). I’ve scrounged every spare hard drive I could find to fill it up as the current AI craze has increased the price for drives and ram to crazy hights. I even salvaged the drive from my Time Capsule to extend is use in the UNAS 4. So it’s not ideal, different sized hard drives, not really using RAID, but untill prices come down it works for me.

This al meant I was no longer using any of the Apple Airport, and when I read a few weeks back that someone had extended the life of the Time Capsule problem by installing Samba on it I almost felt sorry for replacing it. But the news this week finally put the nail in the coffin for Airport. As MacRumors unveiled, Apple Dropping AirPort Utility From the App Store With iOS 27, you wouldn’t be able to configure or access the settings anymore. Which basically would mean the end. Apple has done a great thing by supporting it this long.

I’ve loved all my Airports and was sad when they were dicontinued, I’ve tried hanging on as long as possible. There is still some hope that Apple will get back into networking but I don’t think that will happen, same with printers.