OS X Mountain Lion AirPlay Mirroring: Older Macs not welcome

“Looking forward to broadcasting movies, music and more from your less-than-fresh, though still OS X Mountain Lion compatible, Mac using AirPlay Mirroring? If you don’t have a mid-2011 or newer mofrl, just put that thought out of your mind right now,” FairerPlatform writes.

“What’s up with that?” FairerPlatform wonders. “My best guess is that these Macs ship with Intel chips containing the latest and greatest version of Intel Insider, which allows streamed DRM encrypted Hollywood content to play…”

Read more in the full article here.

48 Comments

  1. the latest and greatest version of Intel Insider, which allows streamed DRM encrypted Hollywood content to play — just guessing…

    MPAA DRM crap strikes again. Great user abuse their MPAA. You’re so endearing to your customers. — just guessing…

      1. Sorry.. I have an NVIDIA card… the ATI is probably supported. I have an “early 2009” with the NVIDIA GeForce GT 130 512 MB.

        If DRM were the issue, the iPad 2 or 4S wouldnt be able to mirror. As it stands today, any video or song can be pushed via airplay, so the DRM argument is totally ridiculous.

    1. CableCARDs with personal computers:

      Existing integrated cable set-top boxes perform four basic functions:

      Enable receiving and selecting digital and analog cable channels
      Uniquely identify the customer and authorize the features to which they have subscribed
      Decode scrambled digital channels and premium programming such as movie channels

      Provide interactive two-way communications for:

      Interactive programming guides
      Pay-per-view
      Video on Demand
      Switched video streams

      New digital televisions and other devices that are labeled DCR (Digital cable ready) contain:

      built-in support for receiving digital cable channels (via an internal QAM tuner)
      a slot for the current version of CableCARD (see photo here), which allows decryption of encrypted digital channels.

      “Cablecard”, the “host” not the physical card itself will plug the “analog” hole in the digital stream, just as it did with HDMI.

  2. “If you don’t have a mid-2011 or newer mofrl…”

    Umm… Mofrl? Seriously? That’s a pretty bad typo to get passed an editor.

    I don’t even know what he’s trying to say!

    Mac? Model? Manufactursomething?

  3. Mofrl = model, I guess.

    More upset about the DRM hounds winning again…what if the content I want to stream isn’t from them? It should work for other stuff. Don’t shut the barn door just because of one loud cow…

    1. On the contrary, AirPlay uses intel quick sync technology that first gen i-series processors do not contain. This is why airplay will not work. However, there is a workaround via third party app. For example, air parrot will encode your screen into video and send it to apple tv. This, however, will eat up a quiet a bit of processing power unlike quick sync. There actually is a logical reasoning behind apple’s actions. Though most people are not educated about the hardware side of things to know why.

  4. Tons of content can be streamed via iPads, iPhones and iPod touch, from much older versions. I doubt DRM issues are the key, nor Intel. Sending video data out wifi isn’t a big chore…

    What about considering Apple simply wants to cut off devices that can stream to late models? Just one more reason to upgrade older systems.

    1. If you have an iOS device, you could use an app like Air Video to stream from your older mac, and AirPlay to your tv. Don’t think it’d do 1080p, but otherwise it’s a decent and inexpensive workaround.

  5. Wow. Forcing people with good and usable machines that can properly run Mountain Lion to upgrade by holding back little but very cool features.

    To me that’s much worse than MS charging more for the OS version that has more, at least MS is honest and telling you up front. Apple disabling features that would work is poor form.

    IMHO.

    1. Thomas, are we getting upset at something no one has done yet… Even more so, its a RUMOR, you know, like the iPad mini or the Surface!!!

      Just a thought,

      1. Except this isn’t a rumor. The requirements are on Apple’s site for which models will work with AirPlay mirroring. I am running Mountain Lion on a late 2009 MacBook and the option to mirror simply is not there.

    2. I would have to agree 100%, I would gladly pay more to have the same features as the newer Macs do. If Microsoft can support almost all computers with their OS, then there should be no reason why Apple can’t…

      I have a 2009 Macbook, and it still runs amazingly, why would I go and buy a new Mac, when my current one preforms amazing?

      1. I don’t see a mid-2011 or newer mofrl on the Apple list.
        Here is Apple’s list from the tech specs:
        AirDrop
        Supports the following Mac models:
        MacBook Pro (Late 2008 or newer)
        MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer)
        MacBook (Late 2008 or newer)
        iMac (Early 2009 or newer)
        Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer)
        Mac Pro (Early 2009 with AirPort Extreme card, or Mid 2010)

        1. and
          AirPlay Mirroring
          Requires a second-generation Apple TV or later. Supports the following Mac models:

          iMac (Mid 2011 or newer)
          Mac mini (Mid 2011 or newer)
          MacBook Air (Mid 2011 or newer)
          MacBook Pro (Early 2011 or newer)

        2. Apple announced it. They didnt want to tell everyone that most people will have to buy a newer Mac to use it. They decided to throw it under tech spec where most people dont look. Dont slam a website without doing your research.

  6. It’s not a typo, read the Tech specs page from the Mountain Lion link. Only the following Macs are supported.Requires a second-generation Apple TV or later. Supports the following Mac models:
    iMac (Mid 2011 or newer)
    Mac mini (Mid 2011 or newer)
    MacBook Air (Mid 2011 or newer)
    MacBook Pro (Early 2011 or newer)

  7. It’s not notated in the 200+ New Features for Mountain Lion. But in the section for QuickTime X, High-performance H.264 encoding has an attribution stating, Supported on the following Mac models: iMac (Mid 2011 or newer), Mac mini (Mid 2011 or newer), MacBook Air (Mid 2011 or newer), and MacBook Pro (Early 2011 or newer).

    I think that’s the culprit. Hope this is hacked, I haven’t purchased AirParrot for months because I didn’t see the point, I have an early 2010 27′ with a 1GB graphics card, shouldn’t be a problem if an iPad 2 can handle it.

    With no AirPlay Mirroring for a lot of Macs, ML starts looking like a weaker and weaker update with a $40 Win 8 major overhaul on the horizon.

    Was my #1 feature by far.

  8. That kinda blows. I was looking forward to that feature. But my Mid-2009 MacBook Pro will just have to stick to Airplay iTunes movies which is what it can already do anyway. I’ll just have to do without.

    I guess I’ll check out the feature in a few years. More interested in airdrop between iOS and Mac anyway.

  9. I also wondered wtf a mofri is… its hard to take anyone seriously regarding technology or regarding a companies choices/decisions if they cannot even type properly or reread their “report”… but then it dawned on me that he may be experiencing a lag due to his keyboard not having enough K-RAMM (keyboard-ramm).
    Nope, no mofri here!

    1. +1

      Apple makes wonderful, stylish and technologically advanced products. I’ve bought many of them over the years. But no one should EVER overlook Apple’s #1 objective, as it is with any company: Separating the consumer from as much money as possible , as fast as possible. This is just the latest example.

  10. Apple always announces GREAT FEATURES. Then when they are close to shipping, or after they ship, you find out all the limitations and qualifications. I was so looking forward to Back to My Mac (being able to access my Mac at work from my Mac at home. Then I discovered that it only worked with certain network configurations. I was excited about using Airdrop to quickly share a file or two among Macs without setting up shares. But then they later mentioned you had to have a fairly new Mac to do that. There’s no good reason they couldn’t update Airport to allow connected printers to be accessed by iPads and iPhones, but no, only special printers. One time they announced that you could use Time Machine to a hard drive connected to an Airport Extreme. But then when it launched they pulled the feature so that you’d buy a Time Capsule, an Airport Extreme with an expensive hard drive tacked on. Apple is bait and switch on some of its coolest features, even if your computer is only a year or two old. Most people hang onto their computers for a little longer than that. Is it too much to ask that Apple support these features on a two- or three-year old Mac?

    1. I agree with your final statement. Before i switched to Mac, the laptops I’d get with windows were shot and literally falling appart after 2 years. I have a late ’08 Al Macbook that is still phenamonal. I bought this laptop because i knew it would last me long time. I have no intention of upgrading. The Mac isnt like an iPad or iPhone. Everyone cant go upgrading every 1-2 years.

  11. Apple did not get close to being a trillion $ company by being your friend. Their ever accelerating rate of planned obsolescence will dictate an ever decreasing support life. Expect to buy a new device every 18 months and hope all the resulting e-waste doesn’t all end up in a landfill.

  12. I hope this is wrong. I bought my mid-2010 MacBook Pro from Apple Certified about a year ago. The CPU, graphics, every spec is really good – nothing about it should be obsolete so soon.

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