by Jason Snell
AirPort Express: I’m Not Dead Quite Yet
Zac Hall reporting for 9to5Mac:
Apple’s AirPort line may be discontinued, but AirPort Express got one heck of an update today. Firmware update 7.8 for the latest AirPort Express hardware (2012 2nd-gen model, no longer sold) adds support for AirPlay 2 and Apple’s Home app. The teaser for support has been present since iOS 11.4 beta, but support hasn’t been live before today’s version 7.8 firmware update.
Color me surprised, but this is great news for users of Apple’s small and versatile AirPort Express, which was used as an audio streamer in all sorts of places thanks to its 3.5mm speaker jack and support for AirPlay.
Update: Yep, it works! My ancient AirPort Express, pulled out of a drawer, is now playing music on an external speaker synced with my HomePod stereo pair and my Mac’s external speaker, which is an iPod Hi-Fi. (Oh goodness, if I attached the iPod Hi-Fi to the AirPort Express, it would be an AirPlay 2 speaker. Would the universe implode?)