The Apple remote comes with a small range of Macs such as the Mac Mini, but is usually not included with the range of laptops including the Macbook and Macbook Air. You can buy the remote separately if you wish, for around £10.00 online somewhere such as amazon.co.uk. I wouldn't recommend buying one unless it's included with your computer as it doesn't have many functions and is only ideal for parties or events.

The remote is white and rectangular shaped with round edges. Along the front is a black infrared panel. On the upper face is a circular dial, similar to that on the eldest iPod Shuffle. In the outer circle, there are + and - buttons on the top and bottom along with rewind/back and fast forward/forward buttons to the left and right. In the middle of this circle is a big play/pause button. Separately from these, you have a menu button, which is at the same level as the remote and doesn't stick out, which gives the remote a sleek and modern look. The grey writing on the symbols and for the 'menu' title blends in with the Apple colour scheme. On the back of the remote is an Apple logo engraved into the remote.

You can begin using the control by pressing the Menu button. From here, you will access the 'Front Row' screen. This is a full screen mode where you can use the remote to browse through your media including music, music videos and other shows and movies from iTunes. You scroll through the menus using the outer circle of controls on the remote to select the direction. Using the play/pause button, you can select options and navigate your way through the menus.

This is ideal for parties where you can control your music with the remote, which works at long distances across a room. This way, you don't have to keep going to your Mac to change a song. If you have a large screen and a good quality movie, you can also watch these on your Mac using the remote to control it without having to leave your seat. In the Front Row screen, the background is black and everything is displayed in a very modern and simple way, similar to cover flow featured in the iPhone and new iPod Nano.

This remote only has one real use and I wouldn't recommend buying it if you aren't going to be throwing any parties, using your Mac to provide music. It's just not worth it for normal computer use, but may come in useful for presentations and other things. Overall, it has a simplistic look and does its job but I barely ever use mine and don't see the point in buying one separately. The remote is quite light and also small to hold, which is a bonus.

Thanks for reading,

Dan ©