“When it comes to doing acquisitions, networking giant Cisco Systems has long been known as high-tech’s leading shopaholic. But when it forked over $500 million for Irvine (Calif.)-based Linksys Group in March, 2003, many industry insiders held their breath… ‘Linksys has exceeded our expectations in financial terms,’ says Cisco Chief Executive John Chambers,” WJAC-TV reports. Now, Cisco is cranking up its plans for Linksys. Chambers says it will use the Linksys brand on a growing portfolio of low-end products, both for consumers and increasingly for the medium- and small-business market.”
Linksys founder Victor Tsao recently spoke with BusinessWeek computer editor Peter Burrows about past successes and where he sees Linksys — and consumer electronics in general — headed in the future. An excerpt from their conversation touched on Apple Computer:
Q: How do you view Apple’s role in this market? They have their own wireless-network product, the Airport Express, and many Apple watchers expect the company to try to take a leadership role in creating the digital living room of the future. Have you talked to them about working together to have products such as the iPod work with other devices in the home?
A: I really view Apple as a potential partner. The iPod is obviously a very good design. But at the end of the day it has to be a networked device. Linksys does most of the home-networking infrastructure for consumers. If we can partner together, we can give [consumers] such a good experience. In the future, there are a lot of areas where we can work together. This market is huge. Let’s face it: No one player can dominate the whole thing.
Full article here.
Related articles:
Apple unveils AirPort Express for Mac & PC Users; World’s First 802.11g mobile base station features – June 07, 2004
iLink
It would be nice if Linksys gave decent Linux support!
I don’t see Apple giving up control of its products any time soon. LinkSys obviously wants a piece of Apple’s action – they can charge way more for an otherwise low-margin product because it might have an association with Apple.
DudeMac,
It would be nice if I could upgrade my LinkSys router’s firmware with something other than a PC browser…
Maybe LinkSys should start its Apple partnership by allowing Safari to properly tftp the firmware to its products?
I must say, I’ve always enjoyed LInksys’ routers… even more so than Apple’s Airport Extreme.
Linksys makes great stuff… Maybe it’ll work…
Bought a Linksys router last Oct.
Returned and exchanged it Jan for a new Linksys router.
Returned it in June and took a $25 hit, for the rebate that I NEVER got.
Bought a D-Link.
–
BTW, neither product provide software for the Mac. I guess they’re PnP
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />
Yeah I like LinkSys wifi base stations too, because they’re apparently so hard to configure properly that when I’m traveling there’s always one or two left unprotected near my hotel so I can get free Internet connection.
It’d be nice if Linksys released a firmware for their WAG54G (v2) wireless ADSL router with WDS support so i can connect it to an Airport Express base station.
At the moment i’m using a horrible kludge involving 2 Airport Express’ and a Netgear router to get a (poor quality) wireless signal on my iBook. And i’m refusing to buy a WAG54G until Linksys has delivered the promised WDS functionality.
As often happens, some young gal is exactly right on.
It would be nice if Linksys finally integrated Bonjour in their routers since this was demonstrated working in demo routers years ago on the WWDC. If they are so interested in working with Apple, then why did they never do this ? It would make discovery and configuration of their routers so much easier…
Wasn’t it Apple that originally drove the adoption of wifi?
Seems like everybody wants to play with Apple now, Linksys, and even Dell. This is a very good sign and more companies will be making sure their products play nice with Macs.
Oh and it would be more accurate to call Apple’s product offering the Airport Extreme and then mention they have a smaller mobile unit too called the Airport Express.
Linksys support has traditionally been very anti-Apple. I’ve had Linksys tech support people tell me that they don’t support their products with Macintosh. They’ve been so adament about it in the past that I’ve had people tell me that “Macs don’t work on the Internet” because of what Linksys people have told them.
CISCO, the current linksys parent company is exactly the same way.
I say screw’em.
D-Link on the other hand has always been pro-Macintosh, puts Mac related info in their documentation, and has tech support people that can actually spell “OS X.”
I used to have a Linksys and had nothing but problems with it so I traded it up for a Netgear 4-Port router and have had nothing but good things to say about it.
theloniousMac:
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
I own a D-Link router because Linksys categorically refuses to supply support for Macintosh.
I don’t own an Apple router, because no one could ever justify to me the difference in price (CDN$159/$249 Express/Extreme) vs the $40 (after rebate) I paid for the D-Link.
After buying a new printer I purchased a LinkSys WiFi print server but had to return it as I couldn’t get it to work with Mac. The software was Windows only and tech support had no clue about Macs. Bought an Airport Express which works beautifully with my Macs and Windows PCs. Should ahve known better in the first place…..
MW: great – the Airport Express is just that
i cannot wait for Apple’s next rev of the Airport Express.
I need something with a remote which i can use to stream from my Mac to my home stereo set-up in the living room. I don’t really need video, but that is obviously in the cards as well. Maybe they will offer a lower cost audio only version one. Hopefully it will be priced in the same range as the current Airpot Express.
All the iTablet/iRemote talk has me worried that the whole thing will cost a lot more than i want to spend just to be able to control iTunes remotely. If i can change channels on the tv as well that is a bonus.
Hopefully at Paris …
to zupchuck
MacTFTP works fine for firmware update on Linksys Router.
Never had any problem with my 4 port Router WIRED version
“Let’s face it: No one player can dominate the whole thing.”
I’m sorry, what is the iPod market share?
80% or something-isn’t that domination?
I’m hoping Apple will come out with a wireless router with a built-in ADSL modem.
I can’t really understand this lack in their product lineup. ADSL may not be the predominant broadband connectivity technology in the US but it certainly is in Europe and possibly the rest of the world.
Apple make a router with a built-in dialup modem, hasn’t anyone come up with a chipset that combines an old analogue modem with an ADSL one?
MY QUESTION IS –How Did the Woman in the 1984 Apple Mac Ad
Wear An Ipod? That device on her belt is an Ipos isnt it?
lisa must be a man, a woman couldn’t be that stupid.
Lisa,
Apple recently digitally added the iPod to the commercial on the anniversary of the Mac…