Report: Apple leaving the AirPort router behind


Bloomberg:

Apple Inc. has disbanded its division that develops wireless routers, another move to try to sharpen the company's focus on consumer products that generate the bulk of its revenue, according to people familiar with the matter.

Apple began shutting down the wireless router team over the past year, dispersing engineers to other product development groups, including the one handling the Apple TV, said the people, who asked not to be named because the decision hasn't been publicly announced.

One one hand, the AirPort Extreme has some features that make it easy for Apple customers to manage a home network. On the other hand, a lot of functionality over the years have been stripped away or simply missing.

I still use my tower AirPort Extreme, but I've thought about branching out to more advanced and configurable router. Part of me wondering if something new was coming, whether hardware or a major software overhaul, but sounds like I shouldn't hold my breath.