The printers won't actually die when the supplies are discontinued. There will always be folks who will remanufacture toner, refill ink, and re-ink ribbons.
As far as engines--Apple printers were designed around print engines in the same way hard drives were designed around mechanisms built by different companies. Apple-branded drives were never actually made by Apple themselves, but contained Apple-specific components (if you've ever tried to format a non-Apple Quantum ProDrive with Apple HD SC Setup, you know what I speak of).
Most of Apple's laser printers were based on a Canon engine. The ImageWriters were built around C. Itoh components, and the StyleWriters around Canon (early) or HP (late).
Retooled HPs were nothing new. The DeskWriters were DeskJets with serial connectors designed specifically for Macs. Apple pretty much took the concept but adopted it as their own. There were ways to make regular DeskJets work on Macs, but they weren't as practical as getting an actual DeskWriter.
The good news about the common print engines, be it in a LaserWriter or other Apple printer, is the interchangeable cartridges. Canon and HP cartridges will work fine in many of these models and sometimes work in competing models as well. In fact, I have an HP cartridge in my Canon-based LaserWriter right now.
The proof of Apple's printers being their own--the book "AppleDesign". I know it's a rarity these days, but it details the design process of Apple's products from the 70s through the mid-90s. Printers are among the topics in there--they were actually built to match the design language of the computers of the time. It's not evident at all in the HP-based StyleWriters, but remember, Apple was in some financial trouble at the time and was using some generic designs circa 1997, perhaps in an attempt to save money on design teams or because cash was foolishly being invested in Copland. (The Power Mac 4400 is a case in point--a metal PC case with the floppy drive on the wrong side). Still, there was some engineering underneath--it's not like a Buick Skyhawk from the 80s, which is a Chevy Cavalier by any other name.
As far as engines--Apple printers were designed around print engines in the same way hard drives were designed around mechanisms built by different companies. Apple-branded drives were never actually made by Apple themselves, but contained Apple-specific components (if you've ever tried to format a non-Apple Quantum ProDrive with Apple HD SC Setup, you know what I speak of).
Most of Apple's laser printers were based on a Canon engine. The ImageWriters were built around C. Itoh components, and the StyleWriters around Canon (early) or HP (late).
Retooled HPs were nothing new. The DeskWriters were DeskJets with serial connectors designed specifically for Macs. Apple pretty much took the concept but adopted it as their own. There were ways to make regular DeskJets work on Macs, but they weren't as practical as getting an actual DeskWriter.
The good news about the common print engines, be it in a LaserWriter or other Apple printer, is the interchangeable cartridges. Canon and HP cartridges will work fine in many of these models and sometimes work in competing models as well. In fact, I have an HP cartridge in my Canon-based LaserWriter right now.
The proof of Apple's printers being their own--the book "AppleDesign". I know it's a rarity these days, but it details the design process of Apple's products from the 70s through the mid-90s. Printers are among the topics in there--they were actually built to match the design language of the computers of the time. It's not evident at all in the HP-based StyleWriters, but remember, Apple was in some financial trouble at the time and was using some generic designs circa 1997, perhaps in an attempt to save money on design teams or because cash was foolishly being invested in Copland. (The Power Mac 4400 is a case in point--a metal PC case with the floppy drive on the wrong side). Still, there was some engineering underneath--it's not like a Buick Skyhawk from the 80s, which is a Chevy Cavalier by any other name.