Review: Apple Remote

I recently purchased the updated Apple Remote. I was tired of having to walk across the room to lower or increase the volume of a song, so I thought this would be an inexpensive solution. I was correct! Let me give you guys a quick run down of all the new features this remote sports: 

Design:

It seems Apple is slowly transitioning to an all aluminum product line. The new remote has the same aluminum body like other Apple products. This gives it a nice sleek feel when it’s in your hand. But it isn’t slippery when it’s in your hand, which is nice if you’re carrying it around. 

Features:

When Apple revamped the remote, they added an iPod-esque click wheel, minus the scrolling in circles. Up and down buttons control volume and left and right control ‘Next Song and Previous Song’ and the center button acts as select button. It still has the ‘Menu’ button which, activates Front Row, and a new ‘Play/Pause’ button which seems to do the same duties and the center button. The back of the remote contains a turn-style battery cover, which is very convenient. The remote still works over IR, which is very convenient because it comes standard on most Macs.

Use:

I did some tests to see how far I could from my laptop and still have the remote work. I was able to get about 30ft until it stopped performing actions. Make sure to have nothing obscuring your view of the IR sensor. The remote won’t work if something is blocking it. Surprisingly, this remote will still work even if it is not in direct contact with the IR sensor. If you point it straight up, it will work but it won’t work if you try using it in the opposite direction of the sensor. Shouldn’t be a problem for most people.

Final Rating:

I’ve had this remote for about a week and after playing around with it and testing and experimenting, I have concluded on a rating of...4/5. This remote is great if you need to control you music from a distance and is especially great if you use your Mac as a media unit. So, if you do things like and you don’t want to walk across the room, it’s totally worth the cheap $19.99 USD from the Apple Store.

I hope you enjoy my review and consider buying the new Apple Remote. Thanks!

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