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It happened to me again yesterday morning. I was giving a presentation at a conference on the subject of e-mail marketing. There was an HDTV in the room and I couldn't use it. Instead I used the projector provided by the conference. Why couldn't I use the HDTV? Cords.

Like Steve Jobs was, I consider myself very particular about presentations. How I look when giving a Keynote means as much as the quality of the content. If the messenger gets in the way of the message, the message falls on deaf ears because of distractions the messenger creates. For example, all the other presenters at this conference were using PC's and Powerpoint. As expected, their slides were boring, full of words and just plain awful. Each new slide was more of the same — lots of text, a poor graphics and then someone yammering for time to eternity about all the words... Wake me up when it's over.

When I stepped up with Keynote and my MacBook Air (of course), everything was far different. Cool effects between and during slides danced across the sceen, as well as great graphics and layout. I used my iPhone to create a wifi network, connect to the internet (for my demo) and controlled the slideshow. In addition, no cords, just magic. 

The one drawback was the projector. It was provided by the conference and was dim. My brilliant Keynote presentation looked lacklustre on the screen compared to my standards. I had great color on my Mac, but projector displayed a completely washed out look. And right behind the screen, a gorgeous 52 inch HDTV was mounted on the wall begging to be used. Ugh.

Why can't Apple deliver an AirPlay API for my Mac? I have an MacBook Air!  If AirPlay were available on my Mac, I'd carry my Apple TV with me and magically connect to any HDTV. It's not like new hardware must be developed or that the software must be created from scratch (it's already been done on the iOS). This continues to be a missing feature on the Mac platform that would not be difficult to develop or implement. Apple, please listen up. AirPlay for Macs please. It'll be a big hit... and you'll sell more Apple TVs.

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9 Comments

1. Craig ~ October 10, 2011 16:57
   Great idea! Yeah isn't it the truth the projectors in colleges are the same way. The colors look anything but similar to what the mac presents. You've got a great idea! I suspect it may be coming with the increasing integration of IOS and the Mac platform. Actually, I'd think it would be available in the next update to Lion. It, at least, should be.
2. Gary ~ October 10, 2011 19:21
   Agree completely. * Erica Sadun did some early prototypes for video. * Mark Hoyois has done Media Manager that allows streaming of HTML5 video to ATV But we are missing the universal solution. I think it's obvious... and hopefully coming soon!
3. Warren Davies ~ October 10, 2011 19:29
   Not as bad as playing with groups on IOS 5 or otherwise. I've put in 2 requests to Apple for this and nothing. How can IOS 5 be pc free when you need a Mac to send to a group or manipulate membership of it.
4. Mike Coliani ~ October 10, 2011 19:53
   So it's easier to bring an AppleTV, an HDMI cable, the AppleTV power supply, a backup wifi connection (airport express perhaps) and a power strip in case, vs. A basic adaptor and cable?? You still need the projector and/or TV to have AirPlay support. What if that TV company decided to NOT to load AirPlay support in their TV?? I'd like my Mac to transform into a Mercedes S Class too...
5. E. Werner Reschke ~ October 10, 2011 20:09
   Hi Mike, Really all I need is the Apple TV and its power cable. Most conference room setups already have an HDMI Cable. My iPhone does the wifi. Power strip? Come on... serious? You don't think the HDTV is plugged into one already? Granted I have to carry the Apple TV around, but I think I can manage that.
6. Viswakarma ~ October 10, 2011 20:45
   Use an iPad or iPhone or iPod touch for making Keynote presentations using AirPlay!!!
7. Randy ~ October 10, 2011 22:46
   I think the overarching point is: Wouldn't it be a nice add to have AirPlay in Lion, on Macs? I think the obvious answer is: Uh, yeah. The details as to why could be: - The iPod/iPhone screen is too small to easily see your presentation without staring at it all the time. - It would be nice to AirPlay non HTML5 video files to a big-screen TV from any website without the need of a stinking cable (EPSN 3 anyone?) - iOS has this feature, but not Lion? Sorry, that's got to change.
8. Bob ~ October 11, 2011 02:00
   All I do is carry an HDMI cable and the MiniDV to HDMI adaptor and my presentations are all set. The adaptor is tiny and cheap (make sure you get the one fromApple, if not then make sure you get one that passes audio (just in case you want audio or to watch a video). It world great, is inexpensive and no fuss to plug in to make it work.
9. tim ~ October 11, 2011 05:02
   for situations where there's no projector or big screen TV, or even when there is... when participants have their own PC with them (training situations, meetings, classrooms) it'd be great to just broadcast the presentation to the room and control it with your iPhone, etc.

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