IrDA

socratessocrates
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Any idea why Apple has dropped the IrDA port from the new 'ivory' TiBooks?



I presume they are intending to replace the technology withh the arguably superior Bluetooth standard, but a) Bluetooth is still not yet very well represented in the field of portable electronic devices - certainly not as well as IrDA, and b) Bluetooth still does not come built into Macs either which leaves your only option to be the rather fragile looking USB transceiver - not an elegant solution, as it wouldn't last five minutes if left protruding from a Powerbook as you carried it around town.



So should we expect Bluetooth as standard in the next TiBook? And even if so, why has IrDA already been dropped if it's not ready yet? My guess is the motheboard hasn't been changed (correct me if I'm wrong), so the only cost saving will be in terms of a few pence/cents for the IR transceiver itself, probably less than the cost of the extra Titanium to cover the hole.



Socrates

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 3
    paulpaul Posts: 5,278member
    The mobo was changed... as for why bluetooth wasnt integrated--maybe the s/w isnt ready yet? i have no clue
  • Reply 2 of 3
    posterboyposterboy Posts: 147member
    They probably droppedit because there aren't a lot of devices that use IrDA (beyond Cell Phones and HandHelds) and a lot of the devices that do use it (like those cool little multimedia remotes) actually come with a USB IR Reciever. They also brought back the Line Level Audio In jack, which more people were calling for.



    It will be replaced by bluetooth, because it is faster, and doesn't requie a line of sight.



    --PB
  • Reply 3 of 3
    socratessocrates Posts: 261member
    [quote] They probably droppedit because there aren't a lot of devices that use IrDA (beyond Cell Phones and HandHelds <hr></blockquote>



    Erm... and what devices other than Cell phones and HandHelds would you like to use with your PowerBook exactly? The fact is that practically every palmtop and (high end) mobile phone on the market has IrDA whereas Bluetooth, if it's a available at all usually comes as a retrofit module.



    This is changing, certainly. The new range of Nokias seem to be swapping IR for Bluetooth, and more power to Apple for adopting the technology - I just don't see the point of dropping the existing one before the new one is ready. If Apple had replaced the IR port with a Bluetooth transceiver I'd be over the moon. But they haven't, they've replaced it with seamless titanium, which seems to me to have slightly less functionality



    Socrates
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