Apple updates $19 Remote, predictably coats it in aluminum

Apple's Remote -- which it stopped throwing in with its MacBook Pro machines awhile back -- has also seen a refresh today, ditching the iconic glossy white vibe now associated with the company's lower-end consumer machines and instead donning an all-aluminum coat to match the Mac Pro, MacBook and MacBook Pro range. As always, it's designed to control your iPod, iPhone or Mac from afar, with play / pause, menu, volume and track skip buttons at the ready. If you're looking to use it with your iPod or iPhone, you'll need an iPod Universal Dock ($49) and a device with a dock connector; if you're using it with your Mac, you'll need a compatible machine introduced in 2005 or later with an integrated IR receiver. It'll ship in two to four weeks for $19.

[LUISAMEZQUITA Posted Oct 20th 2009 6:42PM]

This article will balance out when engadget does another article on some crappy phone that looks like an iPod that nobody will ever buy.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 21st 2009 5:53AM]

yess.. it needs.. it made by Apple!

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 20th 2009 4:58PM]

STILL doesn't stick magnetically to the side of my aluminum iMac though, DOES IT?

[Sirius Posted Oct 22nd 2009 5:26AM]

Cos that's a problem with the iMac.. no amount of revisions to the remote will fix that.. unless they make it attach via like.. I duno.. metallic bonding or something?

[nlschlax Posted Oct 21st 2009 12:15AM]

The extra play/pause button actually makes some sense. Have you ever needed to pause your music while you're deep in to a FrontRow or Apple TV menu? It can sometimes be a lot of clicks of the menu button to get back to the Now Playing screen. This doesn't seem like a terribly elegant solution, but I can see there reasoning.

The other obvious improvement that no one's mentioned is that it now appears to have a touch wheel, Nano style. Should make scrolling through long lists easier and more precise. Not sure what the little dots are for though. Maybe to remind us that we can also click each direction? Just starts to look a little cluttered.

And they should definitely start including these free with MBPros again. I was pretty sad when I opened my new 17" and didn't find it...

[notung Posted Oct 21st 2009 6:18AM]

Awesome, people uses FrontRow!!!!

(life has to be really boring these days)

[abugida Posted Oct 21st 2009 8:36AM]

One thing's for sure: It's not a Wiimote! The introduction of this device now makes it unlikely that Apple would add video games to the Apple TV anytime soon.