Apple's product line includes everything from desktop and laptop computers to tablets, phones, and accessories. It's honestly a lot, but there's one thing they don't do any more that really should be reintroduced. Apple used to make its own router, the AirPort range, and it's high time they did it again. Every device in the Apple ecosystem depends on consistent wireless signals, and the AirPort is what's missing to tie it all together.

5 It's a missing piece of the ecosystem

Imagine having a HomeKit-enabled router to power your smart home

The individual devices Apple designs are only part of the picture. What keeps Apple owners coming back is the tight-knit ecosystem between the devices, the operating systems that run them, and the apps that run on them. Many of the features in the ecosystem, from AirDrop to Continuity Camera and Sidecar depend on a fast, stable Wi-Fi connection to work effectively. With how heavily Apple markets these features when selling new devices, the Wi-Fi connectivity is too important to be left to third parties to design.

But it's more than just Wi-Fi. A new AirPort could integrate Ultra Wideband for Find My, HomeKit, and Matter and Thread border routers for smart home control. Currently, an Apple TV or HomePods handles these, but not everyone leaves those switched on all the time. Almost nobody turns off their router, as internet access is a necessity for most of our jobs and for entertainment purposes. Ultra Wideband could also be used for setup purposes to optimize mesh notes for peak Wi-Fi coverage in your home.

4 Drive Wi-Fi 7 adoption

Wi-Fi is finally fast enough for Apple

One of the big changes to the iPhone 16 range is the upgrade to Wi-Fi 7. That's going to put the fastest wireless standard in the hands of millions of users and will drive compatible router sales, which have been limited to early adopters until now. When the AirPort range was discontinued, the fastest wireless version it used was Wi-Fi 5, which made things like Time Machine backups over the network a long, overnight process.

With Wi-Fi 6, 6E, or 7, that same backup can take place in a relatively short time because wireless is now faster than gigabit Ethernet. It also won't have the congestion issues that Wi-Fi 5 is prone to in apartment buildings, ensuring that a Wi-Fi 7 AirPort router will provide the level of service Apple demands. The 6GHz bands used in the newer standard are rarely used right now, and it'll take a few years before they start to get congested. That means better interconnectivity between your Apple products, and keeping users happy is never a bad thing.

3 Seamless Time Machine backups

Having backup storage on your router was amazing

For me, the best AirPort version is the Time Capsule. This is an all-in-one wireless router with network-attached storage, and it was amazing. Effortless Time Machine backups over the network that were done while you aren't using your devices. While you can set Time Machine up on many NAS devices, third-party devices often run into odd issues when connecting to Apple devices, especially when sharing storage across a network. iCloud backups aren't a perfect solution either, especially if you back up multiple devices or have a Mac with more than 2TB of storage.

A new Time Capsule could even be all-flash storage, making it even faster for storing backups and files. With the improvements to wireless speed, Wi-Fi will be similar to or even faster than gigabit Ethernet, and the device could have 2.5GbE or even 10GbE ports, as some of the desktop Mac models have that option. You could even have your iCloud backed up on local media, which would be amazing not to have to download things over the internet every time you want to access them.

2 Apple values user privacy

Other router manufacturers aren't so fastidious

Apple has a longstanding commitment to user privacy and security, which is incredibly important for the gateway between your home network and the Internet. No matter what device the company is announcing, sections of the presentation will be dedicated to privacy or security features and upgrades. When the U.K. Government wanted ways to circumvent end-to-end encryption last year, Apple told them it wouldn't play ball, even threatening to remove access to services in the U.K. if the proposed changes went through. That's exactly the type of company you want to design your networking equipment.

1 Router designs suck

For the most part, routers are ugly or missing features

With a few notable exceptions, routers aren't designed to be pretty. That's probably why so many of us try to hide them in cupboards, closets, or behind the TV, which is one of the worst things you can do for good wireless signal strength. The AirPort line was different, whether it was the earlier flying saucer design or the short, rounded-square design that still lives on in the Apple TV and Mac mini ranges. The closest consumer router company that has the same level of displayable design and easy-to-use software is Eero, which Apple could probably have acquired not long after the decision to end the AirPort line. Imagine Eero without the level of data collection that Amazon is known for, with iCloud Private Relay baked in, and the ability to back your devices up automatically with Time Machine, all inside a gorgeous design. That's something I'd love to own, but I can't because I won't go back to Wi-Fi 5, the fastest Wi-Fi standard used in an AirPort router.

It's time to bring back the AirPort range

When Apple exited the consumer router market in 2018, it was before Wi-Fi 6/6E and Wi-Fi 7 arrived. The design sensibility of later AirPort models still lives on, with clean white towers and small mesh node pucks from most of the router manufacturers. At the same time, fewer router designs are being released, so perhaps an AirPort could take back a chunk of the market, especially if it comes as a mesh tri-band system.