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You are here: MacNN Forums > Community > MacNN Lounge > Dick Move, Apple: iTunes links> Apple Music, end of routers, Airplay?

Dick Move, Apple: iTunes links> Apple Music, end of routers, Airplay?
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subego
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Nov 18, 2016, 02:10 PM
 
Just released a couple demo albums on iTunes.

We copy a link from the iTunes Store and paste it in Facebook.

The link doesn't go to the iTunes Store... it goes to ****ing Apple Music.

Turns out, unless you edit the link, all iTunes links go to Apple Music now by default.

What an utterly slimy way to pimp their shitty streaming service. It's irritating enough our Facebook post about the release, which is our main promotion, doesn't take you somewhere you can actually buy the album, but I'm more pissed by Apple making me their tool.


If anyone is interested, correct links are in this post from my recording studio thread.
     
OAW
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Nov 18, 2016, 03:48 PM
 
I've noticed this as well. I'm accustomed to being able to share iTunes links with people so they can preview a song they might like. For those with Apple Music they have access to the entire track. But for those who don't they can't even here the preview anymore. Even if you copy the link from the iTunes Store it still opens up in Apple Music. I'm an Apple Music subscriber and for the most part I enjoy the service. But I agree this is not a good move on Apple's part at all.

OAW
     
subego  (op)
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Nov 18, 2016, 03:51 PM
 
If you add...

&app=itunes

To the end of an iTunes link it will open in the store.
     
OAW
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Nov 18, 2016, 04:49 PM
 
Originally Posted by subego View Post
If you add...

&app=itunes

To the end of an iTunes link it will open in the store.
Thanks for the tip!

OAW
     
andi*pandi
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Nov 18, 2016, 04:54 PM
 
+5 points!
     
subego  (op)
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Nov 21, 2016, 03:45 PM
 
     
osiris
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Nov 21, 2016, 04:06 PM
 
WTF Apple.

Okay, I can see not wanting to build displays and routers.

But more importantly, where the heck is my new MacPro???
"Faster, faster! 'Till the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death." - HST
     
osiris
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Nov 21, 2016, 04:07 PM
 
Originally Posted by subego View Post
If you add...

&app=itunes

To the end of an iTunes link it will open in the store.
well done!
"Faster, faster! 'Till the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death." - HST
     
Thorzdad
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Nov 21, 2016, 04:25 PM
 
Originally Posted by subego View Post
I just saw this over at Ars Technica. Seems like a real mistake to me. Apple's routers have always been solid and reliable and just set-and-forget pieces. Hell, I see Airport networks in offices and other public spaces everywhere. It's like Apple is just giving up on anything that isn't a phone.
     
reader50
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Nov 21, 2016, 04:31 PM
 
The pattern I've seen is Apple drops products when they no longer have much advantage over the competition. In other words, whenever Apple would have to drop prices to compete, they drop the product instead.

Printers, displays, now routers. Most famously they buried the last Lisas rather than lower the prices.
     
Thorzdad
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Nov 21, 2016, 04:57 PM
 
I dunno. They sold tons of them when they were more expensive than the competitors. Their ease of use and relative bullet-proof operation made the price worth it. I have to think an updated Airport would be worth the usual price premium.

I wonder what happens to AirTunes now? I use my Airport Extreme to stream my music (from my iMac) to an Airport Base Station hooked to my stereo in my office. You can't do that with a competitor's router, can you?
     
subego  (op)
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Nov 21, 2016, 05:21 PM
 
That's a big concern for me... I have five Airport Expresses acting as my "whole house audio system". Time to buy a few spares, but they're pretty bulletproof. I just took a peek, and I have some 2004 models still going.
     
Thorzdad
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Nov 21, 2016, 05:37 PM
 
According to Ars, Apple hadn't updated the Airport since 2013 (though, they did recently push-out a security update, bless 'em). They do this crap to themselves.
     
subego  (op)
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Nov 21, 2016, 06:57 PM
 
Originally Posted by osiris View Post
But more importantly, where the heck is my new MacPro???
I've given up, and just bought an iMac after holding out for years.

I would have jumped to Windows and built a PC if I didn't have important stuff in Logic. Bad choice.
     
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Nov 21, 2016, 07:41 PM
 
Well, if you're not going to update something, better to kill it than to leave it hanging like the MP.

Personally I saw the value in the Airport hubs back in the day, when they were at the edge of the market, but that was a decade ago now. I always bought something cheaper. Also - how much bandwidth does a home user need, really? In the office with multiple users yes, I want much better bandwidth, but at home I still have an old 802.11n router. That is the standard from 2008, but it maxes out at 150 Mbit/s. I still only have 50 down (soon 100 down) and I don't send that much between units on the network to use up the rest. And even if I had more... 150 Mbit/s is 6 Netflix 4K streams. That's a lot.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
Waragainstsleep
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Nov 21, 2016, 07:53 PM
 
Apple's Airport gear has always been the best for extendability. The Express has been a great little box over the years and its a real pity they are discontinuing development.
I'd like to see more infrastructure from them, not less.
I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
     
OldManMac
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Nov 22, 2016, 05:22 AM
 
Originally Posted by subego View Post
I worked for Apple for over ten years, at retail, and I could count on two hands the number of Apple routers I sold. IMO, it's not a market they need to be in. I bought a wireless extender on Amazon for $30; why would I spend the money for an Apple router that does the same thing at a much higher price?
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subego  (op)
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Nov 22, 2016, 07:23 AM
 
For AirPlay, Back to my Mac, or an integrated Time Capsule.
     
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Nov 22, 2016, 08:57 AM
 
Airplay made more sense in an earlier era. These days, when Apple's idea of music in the living room is "Apple music" or if not that then something from an iOS device, the answer is either an AppleTV or a Bluetooth connection from your phone. Personally I use my tiny portable Bluetooth speakers way more than the big speakers in the living room (for music. For movies it is still the big speakers).

Back to my Mac should work with any router. I know that it doesn't always because there are buggy routers out there (Netgear!) but that is not a reason. The Mac is a big enough platform these days that issues like that tend to get solved.

Integrated Time Capsule IS a good reason, but I suspect that as the Mac is moved up into more of a professional range with iPads covering the lower part, you are expected to either use iCloud or get yourself something more advanced (either a Synology or Drobo or a subscription service like Backblaze or Crashplan). It doesn't sound like an accident that it was cancelled just after the release of Sierra with support for syncingup of all of Documents and Desktop through iCloud.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
subego  (op)
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Nov 22, 2016, 09:18 AM
 
Originally Posted by P View Post
Apple music

**** Apple Music



I feel better now.
     
Doc HM
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Nov 22, 2016, 09:27 AM
 
Originally Posted by P View Post
you are expected to either use iCloud or get yourself something more advanced (either a Synology or Drobo
As long as Apple software update don't break the time machine functionality built into your third party network backup. Because that's never happened before...
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subego  (op)
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Nov 22, 2016, 09:33 AM
 
Originally Posted by P View Post
Airplay made more sense in an earlier era. These days, when Apple's idea of music in the living room is "Apple music" or if not that then something from an iOS device, the answer is either an AppleTV or a Bluetooth connection from your phone. Personally I use my tiny portable Bluetooth speakers way more than the big speakers in the living room (for music. For movies it is still the big speakers).
I understand this from the larger perspective, but it screws with me personally.

I don't have cable, and my TV runs off a Mac Mini (another thing they'll probably kill). iTunes gets beamed via Airtunes to the bedroom/office/kitchen/workshop/garage. With Airfoil, I can do the same in Safari, so I get YouTube audio everywhere when I play video podcasts... which is generally all I need for your typical talking head setup.
     
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Nov 22, 2016, 09:56 AM
 
My solution to that problem is a portable Bluetooth speaker and all my podcasts on the iPhone, to be listened to over speaker, over headphones, or in the car (Bluetooth adapter to the AUX plug because my car is 10 years old and doesn't have Bluetooth in the head unit, but the only loss from that is that the steering wheel buttons for skip forward/back don't work). UE Mini Boom is my personal choice - I think it has been replaced by UE Roll now - but honestly, the built-in iPhone speaker does a decent job if it is just speech. I think Overcast even has a special equalizer mode for people using the phone speaker to listen.

Or Bluetooth adapters to existing stereo systems, where you turn those adapters on and off to control which gets the audio.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
subego  (op)
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Nov 22, 2016, 10:25 AM
 
There are definitely different ways to skin the cat, but just having everything play everywhere without thinking about it is nice.
     
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Nov 22, 2016, 11:00 AM
 
It is also nice to not have to wonder if the played count for your podcasts has synced or not. As someone who travels a lot, on airplanes with no network access and in countries with roaming normally disabled (although the EU is finally working on that problem), I like not having to fiddle with getting those things synced. I add podcasts to my queue and press play on whatever control panel I am at at the time, and it all just works.

I get that it messes up your workflow, I just think that this is a problem that is easy enough (and cheap) to solve.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
subego  (op)
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Nov 22, 2016, 11:59 AM
 
I've built what amounts to a six node Sonos.

I find the implication I should shut my yap because if it stops working I can just carry a Bluetooth speaker with me all day to be... odd.
     
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Nov 22, 2016, 12:19 PM
 
Your current system isn't going to break tomorrow, is it? It works fine for now. Apple still supports Airplay with AppleTV if you need to add another unit.

I know it sucks when your current setup is not Apple's preferred solution anymore - I am looking at a pile of dongles to integrate a new MBP into my current setup - but just like Thunderbolt 3, the writing has been on the wall for a while. Airplay is a part of the "Digital hub" concept, where your Mac is your home in the world and Apple's solutions are all designed around getting your content from that machine to where you want to consume it. The new strategy is all centered around the cloud, where everything you have lives in the cloud and everything else is just a cache of that. I don't like that setup for things I own, but Apple doesn't consult with me when setting their strategy, and they have been quite clear that this is the plan.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
subego  (op)
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Nov 22, 2016, 12:43 PM
 
Originally Posted by P View Post
Your current system isn't going to break tomorrow, is it? It works fine for now. Apple still supports Airplay with AppleTV if you need to add another unit.
The claim was my problem was easy to solve. Were we not discussing a scenario wherein I had a problem?
     
The Final Dakar
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Nov 22, 2016, 12:55 PM
 
Originally Posted by subego View Post
Apple losing sight of their ecosystem. This is garbage.
     
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Nov 22, 2016, 01:27 PM
 
Originally Posted by subego View Post
The claim was my problem was easy to solve. Were we not discussing a scenario wherein I had a problem?
I was mostly saying that I am Jack's complete lack of surprise when hearing this news, and while I can commiserate, I DO think that the problem is solvable. You have an amp and speakers in multiple locations throughout your house, each amp connected to an Airport Express. Correct? If you add a Bluetooth adapter to each amp, you can then play music from your phone in each location. Bluetooth to headphone adapters are about $10. This is an acceptable fix for the problem, IMO - Apple has left people hanging higher and drier than that many times.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Nov 22, 2016, 03:31 PM
 
Originally Posted by P View Post
I was mostly saying that I am Jack's complete lack of surprise when hearing this news, and while I can commiserate, I DO think that the problem is solvable. You have an amp and speakers in multiple locations throughout your house, each amp connected to an Airport Express. Correct? If you add a Bluetooth adapter to each amp, you can then play music from your phone in each location. Bluetooth to headphone adapters are about $10. This is an acceptable fix for the problem, IMO - Apple has left people hanging higher and drier than that many times.
Bluetooth to headphone adapters THAT SUCK are about $10.

AirPlay is lossless, and the Airport Express DAC is pretty damn good (later-model AEx — the previous on was pretty great, too, but the latest one is even better).
     
Laminar
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Nov 22, 2016, 04:07 PM
 
Originally Posted by P View Post
I was mostly saying that I am Jack's complete lack of surprise when hearing this news, and while I can commiserate, I DO think that the problem is solvable. You have an amp and speakers in multiple locations throughout your house, each amp connected to an Airport Express. Correct? If you add a Bluetooth adapter to each amp, you can then play music from your phone in each location. Bluetooth to headphone adapters are about $10. This is an acceptable fix for the problem, IMO - Apple has left people hanging higher and drier than that many times.
Then you play music in one location at a time, and you have to specifically connect and disconnect from that bluetooth module at each location?
     
subego  (op)
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Nov 22, 2016, 04:47 PM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
Bluetooth to headphone adapters THAT SUCK are about $10.

AirPlay is lossless, and the Airport Express DAC is pretty damn good (later-model AEx — the previous on was pretty great, too, but the latest one is even better).
And they have optical out. The ones I have hooked up to nice speakers have outboard DACs.
     
subego  (op)
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Nov 22, 2016, 04:48 PM
 
Originally Posted by Laminar View Post
Then you play music in one location at a time, and you have to specifically connect and disconnect from that bluetooth module at each location?
I was going to say...
     
OAW
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Nov 22, 2016, 06:44 PM
 
My home network currently consists of an Airport Express base station for Wifi. It's located on the lower level next to the cable modem. Then I use a set of TP-Link AV500 Nano Powerline Adapters ... one of which is connected to the Airport Express and the other to my 4th Generation Apple TV on the main level. The plan being to eliminate the dreaded "buffering" issue when watch TV shows and movies by using a wired connection. Then there is an upper level where all manner of devices use Wifi. I've had this setup for about a year now. Ever since the new Apple TV came out. And it was rock solid at first. But lately I'm starting to see the Apple TV freeze up every now and again. Not all the time .. but enough to be irritating because now I have to get up and unplug/replug and the Powerline adapter attached into the Apple TV to get things going again. Meanwhile other devices using Wifi work fine. The Powerline adapter I'm using is the #1 seller on Amazon with a 4 out of 5 star rating. But the negative reviews seem to center around it becoming a bit flaky ... you guessed it ... after about a year of usage. So now I'm considering a network upgrade of sort. What says the MacNN hive mind for getting a rock solid network again ....

A. Replace the TP-Link AV500 Nano Powerline Adapters with a new set or another brand.

B. Upgrade the Airport Express to an Airport Extreme while I still can. Perhaps 802.11ac support will eliminate the need for the Powerline Adapters altogether?

C. A combination of A and B.

D. Bite the bullet by ditching the Powerline Adapters altogether and investing in a Wifi Mesh network from Eero or Amplifi.

Listed in least to most expensive order.

OAW
     
subego  (op)
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Nov 22, 2016, 06:55 PM
 
Unfortunately, I'll be of little use. The loft-like nature of my place let me hardwire everything.

That said, I set up a Time Capsule in my dad's basement, and he gets a decentish signal on the second floor.
     
The Final Shortcut
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Nov 22, 2016, 10:32 PM
 
Amplifi
     
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Nov 23, 2016, 06:01 AM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
Bluetooth to headphone adapters THAT SUCK are about $10.

AirPlay is lossless, and the Airport Express DAC is pretty damn good (later-model AEx — the previous on was pretty great, too, but the latest one is even better).
OK, so spend $20 then. There are decent Bluetooth adapters available. And lossless... Bluetooth SBC (the base encoding) is 345 kbit/s. Unless your audio was absolutely fantastic quality, I doubt that you will notice that difference.

(I always wondered why Apple or someone else didn't implement streaming the actual MP3 or AAC stream over Bluetooth to avoid double encoding. That is allowed by the standard, but it seems all they use is the default SBC or AptX, both of which are re-encodings)
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
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Nov 23, 2016, 06:02 AM
 
Originally Posted by Laminar View Post
Then you play music in one location at a time, and you have to specifically connect and disconnect from that bluetooth module at each location?
I just turn the Bluetooth adapter itself on and off so only one adapter has power at a time. No harder than turning the amp itself on and off.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
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Nov 23, 2016, 06:05 AM
 
Originally Posted by OAW View Post
A. Replace the TP-Link AV500 Nano Powerline Adapters with a new set or another brand.

B. Upgrade the Airport Express to an Airport Extreme while I still can. Perhaps 802.11ac support will eliminate the need for the Powerline Adapters altogether?

C. A combination of A and B.

D. Bite the bullet by ditching the Powerline Adapters altogether and investing in a Wifi Mesh network from Eero or Amplifi.

Listed in least to most expensive order.

OAW
I would get a new router with good antenna strength. Not sure how good Apple's offerings are in that area. Having an external antenna can really help.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
Doc HM
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Nov 23, 2016, 06:30 AM
 
So the same day Apple announce the end of the Time Capsule I end up setting up a Time Capsule at a clients. Obviously the device had heard the news so decided that it wasn't going to play happy.
Repeated attempts to set it to connect to the clients existing BT wifi network failed with the as usually helpful Apple Error Message "unexpected error"
Ended up connected via ethernet to router with WiFi off so a nice shiny non wifi network drive.

Perhaps I won't miss these after all...


edit Turns out it's so long since I did one of these that I didn't notice Apple no longer allow Time Capsules to connect to existing wifi, only airport expresses. Hey ho.
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Nov 23, 2016, 06:57 AM
 
In perhaps related news, Sonos Play:1 is currently $50 off at both Amazon and the Apple Store.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Nov 23, 2016, 11:56 AM
 
Originally Posted by P View Post
OK, so spend $20 then. There are decent Bluetooth adapters available. And lossless... Bluetooth SBC (the base encoding) is 345 kbit/s. Unless your audio was absolutely fantastic quality, I doubt that you will notice that difference.

(I always wondered why Apple or someone else didn't implement streaming the actual MP3 or AAC stream over Bluetooth to avoid double encoding. That is allowed by the standard, but it seems all they use is the default SBC or AptX, both of which are re-encodings)
The audio on many recordings *is* fantastic quality. That's kind of the point of keeping a lossless archive and a high-end stereo system.
     
OAW
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Nov 24, 2016, 02:11 PM
 
Originally Posted by OAW View Post
My home network currently consists of an Airport Express base station for Wifi. It's located on the lower level next to the cable modem. Then I use a set of TP-Link AV500 Nano Powerline Adapters ... one of which is connected to the Airport Express and the other to my 4th Generation Apple TV on the main level. The plan being to eliminate the dreaded "buffering" issue when watch TV shows and movies by using a wired connection. Then there is an upper level where all manner of devices use Wifi. I've had this setup for about a year now. Ever since the new Apple TV came out. And it was rock solid at first. But lately I'm starting to see the Apple TV freeze up every now and again. Not all the time .. but enough to be irritating because now I have to get up and unplug/replug and the Powerline adapter attached into the Apple TV to get things going again. Meanwhile other devices using Wifi work fine. The Powerline adapter I'm using is the #1 seller on Amazon with a 4 out of 5 star rating. But the negative reviews seem to center around it becoming a bit flaky ... you guessed it ... after about a year of usage. So now I'm considering a network upgrade of sort. What says the MacNN hive mind for getting a rock solid network again ....

A. Replace the TP-Link AV500 Nano Powerline Adapters with a new set or another brand.

B. Upgrade the Airport Express to an Airport Extreme while I still can. Perhaps 802.11ac support will eliminate the need for the Powerline Adapters altogether?

C. A combination of A and B.

D. Bite the bullet by ditching the Powerline Adapters altogether and investing in a Wifi Mesh network from Eero or Amplifi.

Listed in least to most expensive order.

OAW
So I ended up going with option D. I was already leaning towards the Eero 3 pack because of its rock solid reviews and Apple-like industrial design and network management app. But I was put off by the $500 price tag. So then I started considering the Amplifi HD because that offered a 3 access point system for $350. Only to find out it won't be officially released until Dec. 3. So all the reviews I was reading were based upon pre-production units and not real-world experience by average consumers in the wild. Then I saw that I could get the Eero for $386 from Amazon as part of their Black Friday sale. At that point it was a no brainer to go that route! I also saw the Ring Video Doorbell was on sale for $125 (normally $200) so I was able to cop both products for about the same as the usual list price of the Eero alone. I'll report back on how well they work.

OAW
     
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Nov 26, 2016, 06:22 PM
 
Pushing their Apple Music service by making everything default to that - apparently without any sort of "oh by the way" developer (or new artist) notification is uncool, and yes, slimy.

I've been getting by with an Airport Extreme and an Airport Express that are quite old, so no new routers from Apple is only mildly disturbing to me. Not nearly as disturbing as the Brit guy in the Bloomberg video who insisted on calling them "rooters." Like finger nails on a chalk board. (Look that up if you need to, folks!)

Despite the truth in the "comoditization" of routers, there's plenty of room for innovation and advancements. Routers that help users isolate multiple machines from each other yet keep them connected to the same pipe - without having to actually "manage" all the behind the curtains stuff - is one idea. And what about routers that provide smoother streaming data experiences without compromising the experience of any non-streaming clients? Seriously, if there's anything Apple has excelled at, it's "making things just work," and the technical overhead for configuring a network to handle these things and others seems like a niche Apple should dive into with both feet.

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P
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Nov 26, 2016, 07:55 PM
 
The hot new thing in routers is mesh networks. Eero was arguably first, but now has competition from Orbi and Amplifi. There is a lot happening in this area, but it seems Apple has not focused on it. My guess is that they saw that they needed to develop mesh networks if they were to remain relevant, and they did not want to spend that money.
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ShortcutToMoncton
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Nov 27, 2016, 11:00 AM
 
Let's face it - P's right, Apple's current offerings required a significant R&D investment. They were crushingly out of date, underpowered and overpriced compared to what's out there. Most people who would have purchased one new in the past year or so had no idea what is going on, no idea about the market, and not much care in how they spent their money.*

*With a few exceptions I'm sure, some being detailed in this thread.
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subego  (op)
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Nov 27, 2016, 04:01 PM
 
I fully admit I'm not aware of what the current market has to offer.

That said, I'm not sure what it can give me other than a lower price, but this is Apple we're talking about. Where I'm standing right now, I get a solid 50 down and 25 up on my phone. Wired is 120/30. My AP (which is from before the introduction of the tower model, so it's old) is 20 fee... 6 meters away and behind two walls, one of which is plaster. I'm given the option to join 9 other networks, so I'd consider my RF environment to be "crowded".

Are there concrete benefits to be gained by switching?
     
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Nov 27, 2016, 09:19 PM
 
Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton View Post
Let's face it - P's right, Apple's current offerings required a significant R&D investment.
Just to add a bit here: Apple has sharply increased R&D spending over the last few years, so it's not lack of spending per se, IMHO it's that Apple's old way of developing products is becoming more and more unfeasible: you had a bunch of “all stars” roaming the campus, working on the hot project du jour. Unfortunately, that means Apple then drops the ball completely on other projects which are under- or even seemingly unstaffed. You have products like the Mac Pro, Aperture, iPod or the AirPort product line that fall into this category. In the past, also iTunes has had this fate, for quite a few versions, it stagnated and lingered.

I think this is the most plausible explanation. Case in point is the Mac Pro: Apple has spent a pretty penny on completely revamping it, developing new processes to make it without an obvious need to do so. I mean they could have revved the existing enclosure a bit, updated the internals and call it a day. I reckon many people would have been happier with the outcome. But no, they took an “Can't innovate anymore, my ass!” attitude. And then abandoned it. Ditto for its routers, I reckon they figured that they had dropped the ball for too long to catch up and could no longer contribute meaningfully.

I can't help but think that something is going royally wrong at Apple, and I reckon it has to do with the way projects are managed and the sheer breadth of products they have for sale now.
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Dec 6, 2016, 06:07 PM
 
Originally Posted by OAW View Post
So I ended up going with option D. I was already leaning towards the Eero 3 pack because of its rock solid reviews and Apple-like industrial design and network management app. But I was put off by the $500 price tag. So then I started considering the Amplifi HD because that offered a 3 access point system for $350. Only to find out it won't be officially released until Dec. 3. So all the reviews I was reading were based upon pre-production units and not real-world experience by average consumers in the wild. Then I saw that I could get the Eero for $386 from Amazon as part of their Black Friday sale. At that point it was a no brainer to go that route! I also saw the Ring Video Doorbell was on sale for $125 (normally $200) so I was able to cop both products for about the same as the usual list price of the Eero alone. I'll report back on how well they work.

OAW
The Eero Wifi system has been rock solid for a week. I'm very pleased with it so far. And the Ring Video Doorbell is also a good product. My only complaint is that it doesn't currently support 3rd party cloud storage. I'm not crazy about paying an additional recurring fee when I have plenty of storage available in iCloud.

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