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Mountain Lion AirPlay Mirroring (iMac to AppleTV) Not Working

Mountain Lion successfully installed on my iMac.


AppleTV sucessfully networked with my iMac (at least where iTunes and iPhoto are concerned.)


But AirPlay icon is NOT appearing in my menu bar. Any clues as to why this is?


In System Preferences, I've checked "Show mirroring options in the menu bar when available" but still nothing.


Below is a screenshot of my menu bar. Thanks in advance!




User uploaded file

Posted on Jul 25, 2012 9:13 AM

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Posted on Jul 25, 2012 9:16 AM

Never mind. Just realized my iMac is too old. Late 2009.


AirPlay will only work for mid 2011. 😟

1,096 replies

Mar 5, 2013 11:09 PM in response to Csound1

Also show me where on the Apple tv sales literiture it says that airplay mirroring only works with certain imac's. It simply tells you what operating sytem is required i.e. Mountain lion.

The implication made there is that if you have mountain lion on your imac then airplay mirroring will be avaiable to you.


Obviously it isnt.


http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipod/family/apple_tv

Mar 6, 2013 6:19 AM in response to applesceptic

applesceptic wrote:


Posting up an ammended doc. Great help.

I fully read the features of the original sales literiture on 27th July 2012 very shortly after mountain lion was first released and guess what. This did not appear.

I agree It has it at the end of product details now. I suspect because people were outraged that it wasnt there in the first place.

A good thing it is there now.

The document is not amended and it is current. Calling me a liar reminds me that you are to rude to care about.


Goodbye

Mar 6, 2013 5:27 PM in response to applesceptic

Yes, AirParrot works for this on machines where Airplay mirroring isn't supported.


The difference is that AirPlay mirroring on supported machines leverages specific Intel technology on the chipset which enables it to use very little CPU and it's thus battery efficient. This hardware does not exist in older machines, and it's what AirPlay mirroring relies on.


AirParrot chews a ton of CPU power to do the same thing because it runs on machines that don't have the Intel chipsets. Expect significantly worse battery life and a hotter machine using AirParrot than with AirPlay mirroring.

Mar 6, 2013 5:52 PM in response to applesceptic

It is also a problem if you are trying to run multiple apps simultaneously which may also not be a problem for you.


The original documentation did have a footnote referrring to the hardware requirments for Mac mirroring. It also had a footnote regarding the hardware required for Power Nap which is even more limited than hardware mirroring.


The Apple TV item you posted only refers to mirroring with iOS devices and has a footnote to state which devices work. Apple did not provide such a disclaimer on adds but I don't recall any TV ads for the iMac or MBP which feartured mirroring. I do recall a Sony VAIO and Microsoft TV ads that featured wireless mirroring to a large television. No disclaimer there either but in both cases they were using the Quicksync hardware feature that Intel introduced and no one got their knickers in a twist over them.


Apple would have gladly refunded (and may still if you call Customer Service) your money for your purchase of Mountain Lion if you solely purchased it for ONLY the mirroring feature. Call them. If you accept the refund you will of course, being an honest person, need to reload Lion and remove Mountain Lion from your system. Before you do that I should warn you that AirParrot runs far, far better under Mountain Lion than it does under Lion.

Mar 6, 2013 7:01 PM in response to deggie

Thanks for your input Deggie. As it was over 7 months ago I read the product description I conceed there is the possibility I might be in error but I always make a point of looking for the small print because this is where disreputable companies hide the stuff they dont want you to read but have to print it. I did not see it then but I note it cetainly is there now.


Could you please highlight for me where it says in the add (link below) where it states, including small print, that there might be an issue with the type of mac you have in order to mirror. Because there might be the outside possibility I am missing it somehow. All I can see is a small note that the latest software is required. This is after a large heading of airplay mirroring and in which it clearly states, "Airplay mirrororing lets you show exactly whats on your Mac"


http://www.apple.com/au/appletv/airplay/


I think that Apple know dam well that people will not go through the hassle of phone calls and uninstalling and reinstalling the OS and what about the Apple TV will they refund for that too?

Mar 6, 2013 7:08 PM in response to applesceptic

You cut is off, that sentence also covers the iPad, etc. and the superscript below refers to which iOS devices support it. I'll pass it along that it doesn't refer to the Mac hardware but I still don't know that many people who purchased Mountain Lion SOLELY for the mirroring feature.


Yes, Apple will also refund you for the Apple TV but you know that you need that to use AirParrot, right?


If I could ask, given all your posts on this, would would Apple need to do to make you a satisfied customer? Are you seriously telling me that when you look at OS X 10.9 you will also buy that for a single feature?

Mar 6, 2013 7:09 PM in response to applesceptic

The details on supported Mac models are noted on the OS X Mountain Lion page:


http://www.apple.com/osx/whats-new/


The Airplay section refers you to footnote 4:


4. AirPlay Mirroring requires a second-generation Apple TV or later, and is 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).


The Airplay mirroring section of the Apple TV:


http://www.apple.com/appletv/airplay/


Has Footnote 2 for the AirPlay mirroring section:


2. AirPlay Mirroring is available with iPad 2 or later; iPad mini; iPhone 4S; iPhone 5; iPod touch (5th generation); and iMac (Mid 2011 or newer), Mac mini (Mid 2011 or newer), MacBook Air (Mid 2011 or newer), and MacBook Pro (Early 2011 or newer) with Mountain Lion.

Mountain Lion AirPlay Mirroring (iMac to AppleTV) Not Working

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