The Killer App That Never Was…

Though I’ve got a new Mac Mini plugged into my hifi, I’ve kind of assumed I’d end up having to buy an Airport Express to plug in next to it if I want to stream AirTunes from my MacBook (which I do, and yes I know there’s NetTunes etc. but all the music is organised on the MacBook).

So I got pretty excited to read this interview with Rogue Amoeba CEO Paul Kafasis about Airfoil 3. This is a new version of the app that lets you send any audio to an Airport Express and “one of the major announced features is Airfoil Speakers” which, basically, let you use any Mac to receive AirTunes, ie. act as an Airport Express. Yay!

Except that the link to Rogue Amoeba is broken and just states “the forums are no longer online”. Nothing else. No mention of Airfoil 3 elsewhere on the site. But it’s mentioned elsewhere on the net in posts between July and September ’07, like this one and this one (which states the update will come in September).

So it seems reasonable to assume, since all the original announcements at Rogue Amoeba are “no longer online” that the upgrade and new features have been quietly swept under the carpet. Still, there’s only one way to find out: I asked them if they’re still supporting Airfoil and they said “we’re still here and development continues on Airfoil”. But they the chap who sent the email professed ignorance of the “Airfoil Speakers” referred to by the CEO.

What’s going on?

About Simon Wood

Lecturer in medical education, lapsed mathematician, Doctor Who fan and garden railway builder. See simonwood.info for more...

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