I have a 13" white unibody MacBook from 2010 which I'd like to use with the Apple remote, to control keynote presentations. According to this question, I need an external IR reciever for the remote to work with my MacBook. Would an IR receiver actually work, and if so, what are my options?
What external IR receivers are there for Mac
apple-remote-desktophardwarekeynote
Related Solutions
I couldn't figure out how to get Automator to do it, but I was able to beat AppleScript into submission. Just save the following as an Application in the AppleScript Editor, then drag the files you want to convert onto the icon. It will prompt you to choose a folder where the converted files will be placed.
on open droppedFiles
set theDestinationFolder to (choose folder with prompt "Choose destination folder") as Unicode text
repeat with theFile in droppedFiles
tell application "Keynote"
open theFile
set theSlideshow to slideshow 1
set theDestinationPath to theDestinationFolder & (name of theSlideshow)
save theSlideshow in theDestinationPath
close theSlideshow
end tell
end repeat
end open
(I don't really know what I'm doing with AppleScript. If there are improvements that can be made here, I'd like to know about them.)
Yes - although most people are using the iOS based Keynote Remote these days, the old infrared (which is very thin / physically touchable and very reliable in dark rooms and easily hidden in a hand) works just fine.
The Keynote '09 help shows what functions the various buttons will perform when you are in the various modes: Keynote window itself, presentation mode and slide switcher mode.
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Best Answer
If you're looking to control Keynote presentations and your Mac doesn't have a built-in IR port, you could buy an external receiver, but I suggest you use either:
The Keynote Remote app for iPhone. This works over wi-fi and requires only a $0.99 purchase and no additional hardware to buy or set up.
or
A specialized slide advancer, like this Logitech one. This is designed to be comfortable to hold (the Apple Remote wasn't) and doesn't require line-of-sight to the receiver (which is a small USB dongle) to work. Some of the better ones have a slide counter and laser pointers built in.