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Hate you Apple for getting rid of the IR port

S

Serpstone

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 20, 2014
2
1
Ireland
I'm really really unhappy with Apple today. I picked up my new MBP retina 15" yesterday and was planning on doing some presentations with it using Keynote and my existing apple remote.

I should have checked, but the new retinas won't work with the apple remote. No IR port.

Not to worry, there is the Keynote app for iphone which incorporates the old keynote remote app (discontinued). Great. I don't really want to use something as bulky as my phone (and it's case) during a presentation, but if I'm forced to I'll get over that.

No I won't. I won't get the chance to. Not only do I have the top spec macbook, I also have an iphone 5. For Keynote on ios7 (iphone) to work with Keynote on my mac they have to be connected. Simple you would think, but you'd be wrong. Very wrong.

The first venue I have to make a presentation doesn't have a wifi network, so I won't be connecting either my mac or my phone to an existing network. Not a problem I thought. I'll create a network from the mac wifi menu. Did that, connected the iphone. No joy with connecting the two versions of Keynote over that network.

Not deterred, but slightly more angry with Apple I settled on connecting over bluetooth instead. Aaaaarrrrrgggghhhh. The iphone 5 and macbook pro don't play nice over bluetooth. I got them paired only for them to un-pair themselves again and the phone to tell me that the macbook was unsupported. It then had the tenacity to suggest I forget the device.

So what's the upshot? Beats me. I have a perfectly good remote that was nice and inconspicuous, although looked nice if it was noticed - no good to me on my new mac. I have keynotes on my iphone now just so that I can use that as a remote, but it won't connect to my macbook. I have wasted several hours of my life finding out that this is the case.

I really thought that moving from a macbook to a macbook pro I'd be getting something that was at least as useful to me, not just more powerful. I was wrong. It's a disgrace. Do Apple think that nobody will do presentations with a MBP retina? Do I really have to resort to using my 9 year old macbook (which looks every day of that 9 years old at least) to do my presentations, while my shiny new, uber-powerful macbook pro sits at home gathering dust?

Please somebody tell me there is a SIMPLE solution to this that I've missed. Something that works as well as the Apple remote works with my old macbook.

P.s. Using the old macbook really isn't an option for me. I replaced it because it really doesn't work very well any more. It's had a long and very hard life.
 
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Thanks Blueroom, but I'd still have the connectivity problem with the phone and the mac wouldn't I?

Also, I guess what I'm really looking for is something the same size (max) as the Apple remote in my hand, and maybe with a laser pointer for good measure.

I've seen a few people complain about connectivity dropping, or at least being a bit jumpy at times with IOS apps too.

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wrinkster22 said:
I often wondered if a USB ir sensor would work?
Click to expand...

I wasn't aware they existed.... but that does sound ideal if one would work. Back to Google with me.
 
Damn man, that's a long rant over something you can fix with $25 Logitech USB thingy. Return your MBP if you're that unhappy.


http://mobile.logitech.com/en-us/product/wireless-presenter-r400

You can get it for less on Amazon, etc. lots of different options too
 
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I think this is a valid complaint. Frontrow and the Apple remote were very useful. It'd be even more useful now that Macs finally include a flippin HDMI port.

That said, AirPlay makes this moot for me with an AppleTV + Beamer & iTunes.
 
You are upset that you are trying to do something with things that they aren't intended to do?

Really? I'm upset at Chevy because my car doesn't let me fly :roll eyes:

Plenty of options if you don't wait to the last minute to plan these things.
 
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Dustman said:
That said, AirPlay makes this moot for me with an AppleTV + Beamer & iTunes.
Click to expand...

Exactly. You wouldn't buy the AppleTV if your Mac had HDMI out and FrontRow, would you?

Apple giveth, and Apple taketh away.

It's annoying, but it's not something you don't know when you buy the new machines.
 
Serpstone said:
Thanks Blueroom, but I'd still have the connectivity problem with the phone and the mac wouldn't I?

Also, I guess what I'm really looking for is something the same size (max) as the Apple remote in my hand, and maybe with a laser pointer for good measure.

I've seen a few people complain about connectivity dropping, or at least being a bit jumpy at times with IOS apps too.

----------



I wasn't aware they existed.... but that does sound ideal if one would work. Back to Google with me.
Click to expand...

hmm... if you set up your iPhone as a personal hotspot, will it solve the connectivity problem?
 
Wow, long rant, I have to say I've never used it the IR port, but I can understand why people who rely on it, would be upset.

When did apple remove the IR port from the MBP line? My 2012 rMBP doesn't have it.
 
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maflynn said:
When did apple remove the IR port from the MBP line? My 2012 rMBP doesn't have it.
Click to expand...
It disappeared with the thin Retina models. Actually, the Airs never had it either.
But then again, the main reason to have one - Frontrow - was gone long before the IR port.
 
So my 2012 rMBP was the first MBP not to have it. I have a 2010 MBP that my wife uses - I never even noticed if the IR port is on there, but as I said that's just me. I know my needs are not typical to others.
 
Serpstone said:
I'm really really unhappy with Apple today. I picked up my new MBP retina 15" yesterday and was planning on doing some presentations with it using Keynote and my existing apple remote.

I should have checked, but the new retinas won't work with the apple remote. No IR port.

Not to worry, there is the Keynote app for iphone which incorporates the old keynote remote app (discontinued). Great. I don't really want to use something as bulky as my phone (and it's case) during a presentation, but if I'm forced to I'll get over that.

No I won't. I won't get the chance to. Not only do I have the top spec macbook, I also have an iphone 5. For Keynote on ios7 (iphone) to work with Keynote on my mac they have to be connected. Simple you would think, but you'd be wrong. Very wrong.

The first venue I have to make a presentation doesn't have a wifi network, so I won't be connecting either my mac or my phone to an existing network. Not a problem I thought. I'll create a network from the mac wifi menu. Did that, connected the iphone. No joy with connecting the two versions of Keynote over that network.

Not deterred, but slightly more angry with Apple I settled on connecting over bluetooth instead. Aaaaarrrrrgggghhhh. The iphone 5 and macbook pro don't play nice over bluetooth. I got them paired only for them to un-pair themselves again and the phone to tell me that the macbook was unsupported. It then had the tenacity to suggest I forget the device.

So what's the upshot? Beats me. I have a perfectly good remote that was nice and inconspicuous, although looked nice if it was noticed - no good to me on my new mac. I have keynotes on my iphone now just so that I can use that as a remote, but it won't connect to my macbook. I have wasted several hours of my life finding out that this is the case.

I really thought that moving from a macbook to a macbook pro I'd be getting something that was at least as useful to me, not just more powerful. I was wrong. It's a disgrace. Do Apple think that nobody will do presentations with a MBP retina? Do I really have to resort to using my 9 year old macbook (which looks every day of that 9 years old at least) to do my presentations, while my shiny new, uber-powerful macbook pro sits at home gathering dust?

Please somebody tell me there is a SIMPLE solution to this that I've missed. Something that works as well as the Apple remote works with my old macbook.

P.s. Using the old macbook really isn't an option for me. I replaced it because it really doesn't work very well any more. It's had a long and very hard life.
Click to expand...

Oh the joy of expectations. :))
Are you upset about the superdrive also? If not, then why?
If something is so important then why didn't you ask about it? And if you don't like it then just return it. There are many solutions you can do about this (like 3g dongle for internet for the computer) but don't let your emotions get in a way. That will make you less productive :)
 
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Jessica Lares said:
Sorry to hear about that OP. That makes me very upset too.

I shouldn't have to get an iPhone or iPad just to play and navigate through media on my computer.
Click to expand...

Wouldn't a wireless mouse work?

All the presentations I've been too, seem use that.
 
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I have a product to recommend to you

I've been intending to sign up for a while, longtime lurker here who signed up to address your "problem".

I've been giving presentations for 20-odd years and have used Macs and Windows PCs to get my points across, and the right tool just makes things so much smoother. Get over your frustrations and you'll do a better job for the client, right? I have two Apple Remotes that I use with my Apple TV - one of them came with my 2009 iMac, which I sold last year - and I can't use it with either of my rMBPs. I never used them with my client presentations anyway.

You're looking for Keynote/Powerpoint Mac/PC compatibility "out of the box", a green laser, and offers "black screen" capability for when the show is over, right? There's two tools I use - here's IE/US links:

http://www.kensington.com/kensingto...r-expert-green-laser-with-cursor-control.aspx
and
http://www.kensington.com/kensingto.../wireless-presenter-pro-with-green-laser.aspx

I like the Pro - my business partner has (and I borrow) the Expert; I couldn't find an IE link for the Pro. Both have a 2.4 GHz wireless dongle, and it's never interfered with any other wireless network I've been around. I prefer the Expert but both are very nice to use, and the Expert comes with its own stash case. They also have red laser versions of both units for a little less cash - but the green lasers are so much more visible.
 
Where I don't even own the apple remote and have never used the IR sensor on my old MacBook, I do miss it. It's just another feature in the long list that I enjoyed. I also miss the battery check button on the old MacBooks. Both should have been continued in the retina versions I think.
 
Commy1 said:
Where I don't even own the apple remote and have never used the IR sensor on my old MacBook, I do miss it. It's just another feature in the long list that I enjoyed. I also miss the battery check button on the old MacBooks. Both should have been continued in the retina versions I think.
Click to expand...

If you've never used it why do you miss it :confused:

Barney
 
Barney63 said:
If you've never used it why do you miss it :confused:

Barney
Click to expand...

Options. I believe I mentioned that it was a feature that made a MacBook special.
I'm only now in college doing presentations, and it just so happens I have several huge presentations in the next month. I'd love to have the option of using the remote to make my presentation smoother and more professional.
I wasn't aware that the Keynote app had a remote option, I'll probably pick it up.
 
Another option is what I did in the days when I wanted an IR receiver on a G4 Mac mini - the internal IR receivers are actually USB, so if you get one, you can splice a USB cable on it and it will work with the built-in system resources, even on a machine that didn't originally come with one. The non-unibody MacBook Pros seem to have this separate from other components (as opposed to later ones that combined the IR receiver, sleep indicator, and hard drive cable). These run for about $20-$30 on eBay, a bit more on Mac "parts" sites: it's Apple P/N 922-8039.

You'd just need an old USB cable you can cut up, and can just match the colors - I originally just twisted the cables and kept them from touching to test it initially (I think I also used a hub in case anything went wrong, it wouldn't be connected directly to my computer). Once I made sure it worked, I taped it up and actually put it in the shell of a Magic Mouse case. You could wrap the whole thing in electrical tape or something else that's a bit cleaner and more compact. Since mine sat on top of my Mac mini when it was relegated to my home theater set up, I sort of just got it working and left it.

Here's a picture of the setup - I pulled the tape back and re-twisted it (I really need to solder these)...I actually dug it up and connected it to my MacBook Pro - System Information saw both, so I attached a screenshot of that, too.
 

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The idea ecschwarz posted also works for with iMac G5, 1st gen. Apple TV, white Intel iMac, and many Mac Mini IR-boards.

I'm using one from a G5 iSight, just removed the original connector, soldered a USB-cable on the pads, and put a shrink wrap around it. Pretty it ain't, but travels nicely in a laptop bag, and works perfectly.
 
racer1441 said:
You are upset that you are trying to do something with things that they aren't intended to do?

Really? I'm upset at Chevy because my car doesn't let me fly :roll eyes:

Plenty of options if you don't wait to the last minute to plan these things.
Click to expand...

That's just a silly comparison.
 
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ecschwarz said:
Another option is what I did in the days when I wanted an IR receiver on a G4 Mac mini - the internal IR receivers are actually USB, so if you get one, you can splice a USB cable on it and it will work with the built-in system resources, even on a machine that didn't originally come with one.
Click to expand...
So are you saying to have a USB cable with an IR sensor at one end - seems like an a doable solution though perhaps not as elegant that I would choose.

I still think a wireless mouse works well enough, because its easy enough to include and can be used for the general operation of the laptop. (I prefer a mouse over the trackpad so I always bring a mouse with me).
 
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