“A reader sees Apple’s direction moving far away from AirPlay, once a key advantage of its various OSes and networking systems,” Glenn Fleishman writes for Macworld. “Dave Macaulay is an extensive user: ‘I use AirPlay to stream music from my iMac’s iTunes library. The iMac has an AirPort Extreme router sending WiFi to three AirPort Express routers. One AirPort Express is fairly new, while two are an older, original design. Each AirPort Express is connected to an audio receiver or to a Bose Wave radio. I also have an 4th generation Apple TV connected to one audio receiver.'”
“Dave took the recent reports that Apple had apparently disbanded the AirPort product team as a sign that AirPlay might be on the way out, and wonders what to do when his routers die,” Fleishman writes. “It’s a real concern.”
Fleishman writes, “Apple might update and replace AirPlay with something else, but I would expect that to be years in the future.”
Fleishman explains why here.
MacDailyNews Take: And, if they do replace AirPlay with something else, it might also be backwards compatible with AirPlay, at least for a time, to account for the millions of 3-year-old and older iPads, iPhones, and Macs out there.
Goodbye, AirPort. Hello, Eero, Orbi, or AmpliFi!
SEE ALSO:
How to choose the best Wi-Fi replacement for your Apple AirPort routers – January 30, 2017
The eero home Wi-Fi system is the mesh network solution Apple should’ve made – December 14, 2016
Mossberg: Eero makes Wi-Fi simpler and stronger – February 23, 2016
That’s a weird concern: AirPlay has nothing to do with Airport.
AirPlay support is, if anything, become *more* ubiquitous among third-party devices.
Why should Apple users even have to consider a third-party device from the most valuable company in the world?
What? you don’t need Apple routers to do Airplay!
You can airplay from any Mac or iOS device over “any wireless network” to an Apple TV. BOOM!
Instead of buying a Airport express buy an Apple TV.
Express has an analog out as well as a digital optical out.
The new Apple TV only has HDMI, not much use to most music systems.
This is exactly why I returned my 4th gen Apple TV for an 3rd gen before Apple discontinued it.
This guy doesn’t know how airplay works. Any router can do it, the express has the unique ability to hook up to speakers, but any router can use this protocol and more devices support it now than 3 years ago. He’s smoking something.
Better question: Should Apple start looking for an alternative to their CEO?
Only if think America should start looking for an alternative to their current ‘CEO’
I stand by my prediction of last November: if Tim Cook remains CEO of Apple, they will drop out of the top five most valuable companies by January 1, 2018.
I stand by my prediction that the Yankees will lose in the wild card to the Brewers.
lol
notvinnik✓ᴿᵁᴹᴾ <-Friended √
I’m looking at Orbi instead of Airports for the near future.
I’m using Audirvana/Tidal HiFi instead of iTunes/Apple Music on my computers and iPhone because iTunes SUCKS! I’ll be moving to Roon with a NAS player and may drop Apple from my music system altogether since they won’t move forward with any quality audio.
I’ve had a video card issue with almost EVERY iMac I’ve bought (7 new or used) since 2006. Every eMac and G4 iMac I have STILL has no issues with video (other than no HD, of course). My 2012 laptop and 2013 iMac are OK so far.
My iPhone SE 64 Gb can’t figure out what Wifi to use or hold onto and also gets confused when I use my thumb print…open home screen, wallet, Siri?? Call waiting, once perfect, now is a mess.
I’ve given up on the AppleTV, the watch is now dated (even though I’ve wanted one from the start), and I switched my grandkids from iPads to Fire tablets that are lighter, have better kid programming and stronger warranties.
Oh, but yay!!! Apple has record profits!!!!