Paying the Mac Tax

One thing I used to really like about my old iBook G3 was the AV cable. This was a special cable from Apple that plugged into the headphones jack but provided RCA audio outputs and a composited video output. So with one cable, I could easily hook my iBook up to a television. This came in handy so many times. The cable was only $20 or so to boot.

My MacBook, like most (all?) new Macs, has FrontRow and a remote control. However, the AV cable does not work with the MacBook! I asked a guy at the Apple Store about it, and he said that many people buy the AV cable and then return it because it won't work with the Front Row Macs. GRR!

Ok, so what do I need to hook my MacBook up to my TV? Well, first I will need a mini-dvi to video adapter. Cost: $19. I'll still need a separate composite or S-video cable. Cost: $20. For audio, I'll need a Y-adapter. Cost: $12. Total cost is $51!

What's silly is that Apple doesn't make those last two cables, so they are not getting any more money than they would got for charging me $19 for the magical AV cable. Maybe they're just trying to push Apple TV. I guess there must have been some technical reason to drop support for the AV cable. The MacBook supports DVI, whereas the old iBook did not. So there.

Now if only the Apple store would have carried the mini-DVI to video adapter...