Editing AirPort (section)

==Overview==
AirPort debuted in 1999, as [[Stevenote#"One more thing..."|"one more thing"]] at [[Macworld]] New York, with [[Steve Jobs]] surfing the web on an [[iBook]] using wireless internet technology for the very first time in a public demo of an Apple laptop. The initial offering consisted of an optional expansion card for Apple's new line of [[iBook]] notebooks and an AirPort Base Station. The AirPort card (a repackaged Lucent [[ORiNOCO]] Gold Card [[PC Card]] adapter) was later added as an option for almost all of Apple's product line, including [[PowerBook]]s, [[eMac]]s, [[iMac]]s, and [[Power Macintosh|Power Mac]]s. Only [[Xserve]]s did not have it as a standard or optional feature. The original AirPort system allowed transfer rates up to 11&nbsp;[[Mbit/s]] and was commonly used to share Internet access and files between multiple computers.

In 2003, Apple introduced '''[[AirPort Extreme]]''', based on the [[IEEE 802.11g-2003|802.11g]] specification, using Broadcom's BCM4306/BCM2050 two-chip solution. AirPort Extreme allows theoretical peak data transfer rates of up to 54&nbsp;Mbit/s, and is fully backward-compatible with existing [[IEEE 802.11b-1999|802.11b]] wireless network cards and [[wireless access point|base stations]]. Several of Apple's desktop computers and portable computers, including the [[MacBook Pro]], [[MacBook]], [[Mac Mini]], and [[iMac]] shipped with an AirPort Extreme (802.11g) card as standard. All other [[Macintosh|Macs]] of the time had an expansion slot for the card. AirPort and AirPort Extreme cards are not physically compatible: AirPort Extreme cards cannot be installed in older Macs, and AirPort cards cannot be installed in newer Macs. The original AirPort card was discontinued in June 2004.

In 2004, Apple released the '''[[AirPort Express]]''' base station as a "[[Swiss Army knife]]" multifunction product. It can be used as a portable travel router, using the same AC connectors as on Apple's AC adapters; as an audio streaming device, with both line-level and optical audio outputs; and as a USB printer sharing device, through its USB host port.

In 2007, Apple unveiled a new '''AirPort Extreme (802.11 Draft-N) Base Station''', which introduced 802.11 Draft-N to the Apple AirPort product line. This implementation of 802.11 Draft-N can operate in both the 2.4&nbsp;GHz and 5&nbsp;GHz ISM bands, and has modes that make it compatible with 802.11b/g and 802.11a. The number of Ethernet ports was increased to four—one nominally for WAN, three for LAN, but all can be used in bridged mode. A USB port was included for printers and other USB devices. The Ethernet ports were later updated to Gigabit Ethernet on all ports. The styling is similar to that of the [[Mac Mini]] and [[Apple TV]].<ref name="apextreme-2007">{{cite web |url=https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2007/01/09Apple-Introduces-New-AirPort-Extreme-with-802-11n/ |title=Apple Introduces New AirPort Extreme with 802.11n |date=January 9, 2007 |publisher=Apple }}</ref>

In January 2008, Apple introduced '''[[AirPort Time Capsule|Time Capsule]]''', an AirPort Extreme (802.11 Draft-N) with an internal hard drive. The device includes software to allow any computer running a reasonably recent version of Mac OS or Windows to access the disk as a shared volume. Macs running Mac OS X 10.5 and later, which includes the Time Machine feature, can use the Time Capsule as a wireless backup device, allowing automatic, untethered backups of the client computer. As an access point, the unit is otherwise equivalent to an AirPort Extreme (802.11 Draft-N), with four Gigabit Ethernet ports and a USB port for printer and disk sharing.

In March 2008, Apple released an updated '''AirPort Express Base Station''' with 802.11 Draft-N 2x2 radio. All other features (analog and digital optical audio out, single Ethernet port, USB port for printer sharing) remained the same. At the time, it was the least expensive ($99) device to handle both frequency bands (2.4&nbsp;GHz and 5&nbsp;GHz) in 2x2 802.11 Draft-N.<ref>{{cite web|last=Fleishman |first=Glenn |url=http://db.tidbits.com/article/9506 |title=AirPort Express Base Station (Early 2008) – Technical Specifications |publisher=Db.tidbits.com |date=March 10, 2008 |access-date=2021-10-07}}</ref>

In March 2009, Apple unveiled '''AirPort Extreme''' and '''Time Capsule''' products with simultaneous dual-band 802.11 Draft-N radios. This allows full 802.11 Draft-N 2x2 communication in both 802.11 Draft-N bands at the same time.<ref name="support.apple.com">{{cite web|url=http://support.apple.com/kb/SP20 |title=AirPort Extreme Base Station (802.11 Draft-N) – Technical Specifications |publisher=Support.apple.com |date=June 14, 2011 |access-date=2021-10-07}}</ref>

In October 2009, Apple unveiled the updated AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule products with antenna improvements (the 5.8&nbsp;GHz model).

In 2011, Apple unveiled an updated AirPort Extreme base station, referred to as '''AirPort Extreme 802.11n (5th Generation)'''.<ref name="AirPort Extreme Setup Guide">{{cite web|url=http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/airport_extreme_5th_gen_setup.pdf |title=AirPort Extreme Setup Guide |access-date=2021-10-07}}</ref> The latest AirPort base stations and cards work with third-party [[wireless access point|base stations]] and wireless cards that conformed to the 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11 Draft-N, and 802.11 Final-N networking standards. It was not uncommon to see wireless networks composed of several types of AirPort base station serving old and new Macintosh, [[Microsoft Windows]], and [[Linux]] systems. Apple's software drivers for AirPort Extreme also supported some Broadcom and Atheros-based PCI Wireless adapters when fitted to [[Power Macintosh|Power Mac]] computers. Due to the developing nature of Draft-N hardware, there was no assurance that the new model would work with all 802.11 Draft-N routers and access devices from other manufacturers.

===Discontinuation===
In approximately 2016, Apple disbanded its wireless router team.<ref name="Mark Gurman, Bloomberg 2016.11.21">{{cite news |last1=Gurman |first1=Mark |title=Apple Abandons Development of Wireless Routers |url=https://www.bloombergquint.com/technology/apple-said-to-abandon-development-of-wireless-routers-ivs0ssec |access-date=2021-10-07 |publisher=Bloomberg News |date=21 Nov 2016}}</ref> In 2018, Apple formally discontinued all of its AirPort products, exiting the router market.<ref name="Mark Gurman, Bloomberg 2018.04.26: official discontinuation">{{cite news |last1=Gurman |first1=Mark |title=Apple Officially Discontinues Its AirPort Wireless Routers |url=https://www.bloombergquint.com/onweb/apple-officially-discontinues-its-airport-wireless-routers |access-date=2021-10-07 |publisher=Bloomberg News |date=26 Apr 2018}}</ref> Bloomberg News noted that "Apple rarely discontinues product categories"<ref name="Mark Gurman, Bloomberg 2018.04.26: official discontinuation" /> and that its decision to leave the business was "a boon for other wireless router makers."<ref name="Mark Gurman, Bloomberg 2016.11.21" />

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Overview of AirPort (AirMac)-branded products
|-
! Family brand
! Image
! Functions
! Introduced / Discontinued
|-
! Card
| [[File:Apple_AirPort_7877.jpg|alt= Card not Base Station|125px]]
| style="text-align:left;" | Adds wireless networking interface to Macintosh personal computers
| 1999–2005
|-
! Base Station
| [[File:Minns du? Apple AirPort m 1999. Jag har tre (Graphite), kan sälja två om någon samlar. (14243015299).jpg|125px]]
| style="text-align:left;" | Wireless networking switch and internet router
| 1999–2003
|-
! Extreme
| [[File:Airport Extreme Base Station - 08 (14496189685).jpg|125px]]
| style="text-align:left;" | Wireless networking switch and internet router; USB print server. Later (square-shaped) versions added network-attached USB storage & backup.
| 2003–2018
|-
! Express
| [[File:Apple Airport Express.jpg|125px]]
| style="text-align:left;" | Wireless networking switch, access point, bridge; internet router; USB print server; streaming audio receiver
| 2004–2018
|-
! Time Capsule
| [[File:Appletimecapsule.jpg|125px]]
| style="text-align:left;" | Network-attached backup storage, wireless networking switch, and internet router
| 2008–2018
|}