Advice for Mac Upgrade

General Discussion
1

Hi - Looking for advice for the best choice for my upgrade from an older Mac which I am using with Kickr 16 (ANT+ For connections) just tried Apple TV 4K today looks amazing but have really missed the BT keyboard & mouse to navigate the screen and not sure if this is ongoing Apple TV glitch but no jersey icon next to name after sprint which was very kindly pointed out by @Gerrie_Delport thanks Gerrie! This will be dedicated for Zwift only so ideally I don’t really need another laptop but I would just like to get the smoothest experience and hopefully avoid the glitchy daily dropouts. Which would be most ideal:
MacBook Air
Mac Mini
Latest iPad

Any help greatly appreciated!
Thank you! :grinning: :ride_on:

3

Many thanks for replying and confirming the glitch! It will be pretty much dedicated just for Zwift and gaming, just really want it to run smoothly and be compatible with HDMI to TV or mirror option to TV
Thanks :ride_on:

4

Hi Kelly,

I would think it might be a glitch, because after you left I got the green Jersey on the short sprint but my avetar never put it on I was still in my ZF Jersey.

We know from the last Zwiftcast that there will be a UI update at some point.

Test another sprint and see if it was a one-time thing.

6

That is interesting @dot_gitignore. Thanks for confirming.

8

I have an iPhone, Macbook Pro, and AppleTV 4K. My preference in order is Apple TV 4K, Macbook, iPhone.

The remote issues and/or lack of a keyboard is minor as far as I’m concerned. There are horror stories and complaints galore here and elsewhere about the remote, but while I find it non-ideal or sensitive on occasions, it generally works fine for me.

As you saw, Zwift looks amazing on the AppleTV. Can it look better? Yes, if you get a dedicated gaming rig w/high end video card.

9

Thanks all for your help!
Gerrie that is interesting the same thing happened to you later as well! Good idea to test another sprint today, think though I am still going to miss the mouse navigation of segments etc so will go and have a play in the Apple store tomorrow :grinning:

Is a dedicated gaming laptop/rig worth considering? Agree how incredible the graphics look with Apple TV so I would really like to achieve the same quality…

Thanks again! :ride_on:

10

That depend on what you are willing to spend. Do you need it to be a laptop or will a dedicated Pc be an option.

You can get a used Windows 10 pc with a i5 3rd gen for about $100 and then a GTX1060 for about $150 this will give you better graphics than the ATV.

11

…or indeed any other Apple product except for (possibly) the really expensive ones with high-end graphics. The ATV is the only Apple platform with decent value for money for Zwifting.

12

The OP was asking for options besides the ATV, something with a keyboard and mouse.

13

Yeah, I know, and my point was that Zwift-wise, the other alternatives from Apple are not really worth considering. I recently had to decide between getting ATV and an old Windows PC myself and decided on the latter, total cost with new GPU about the same as the ATV 4k.

If the keyboard is the dealbreaker, one alternative would be to use ATV with the Companion app and connect an external Bluetooth keyboard to the phone.

14

Thanks all for your replies!
Just back with a MacBook Air did a quick test and it’s looking pretty sweet! :grinning: New toy day!
Still think ATV is really amazing though if anyone thinking of getting it and not fussed about mouse & keyboard…
Cheers for the help! :ride_on:

1 Like
15

Good choice Kelly. I’m really happy with my Macbook.
One thing I really like is, rather than a mouse, I’m using an Apple Trackpad. I really like it, definitely worth considering.
“Ride On” happily

1 Like
16

Thanks Troy! Apple Trackpad a great idea :grinning:

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17

I have my Zwift set up in my garage and dont really want to keep taking my MacBook in there. I’ve recently tried using a normal TV with an HDMI cable to my iphone but when connected to Zwift, the TV only comes up with portrait instead of landscape. So I’ve got Zwift in the centre third of the screen at 90 degrees. It’s driving me mad. Does anyone know why this is happening? thanks.

18

If I remember correctly, this was a bug in the past but fixed in an update.

Are your iOS and Zwift app the latest and greatest?

19

Thanks for the reply.

I’m pretty sure I’m up to date with the latest stuff. My iphone is currently 13.3.1 and I only downloaded the Zwift app to it about 6 days ago. I’ve spent about 2 hours googling the problem and ive come across forums where people have the same issue but nothing in the way of solving it seems.

20

I think I may have a theory as to why it’s not going to Landscape although I need to borrow my mates Apple lightning to AV adaptor to be absolutely sure. My Lightning adaptor is a cheap £7 after market version. I’ve just gone on ebay and a few sellers that knock these out say “supports IOS 12” on the ads for them. Now we’re on IOS 13, I’m guessing the controlling monsters at Apple have done something with version 13 that render after market copies like mine useless… or at least not fully workable. I’ve just borrowed an Apple TV box off my son in law and it all works with my iphone and TV (albeit a bit jerky - too jerky for my liking). So the only factor currently excluded with this Apple TV set up is my after market lightning to AV adaptor. Apologies if you have a genuine Apple adaptor and its still not working but I think the after market one I’ve got doesn’t support the latest version of IOS. thanks

21

Yes, the adapter I have is an Apple adapter. No idea if it matters, but it might.

As for the the Apple TV, are you saying it was too jerky? or that the iPhone to Apple TV was too jerky?

22

I connected my iphone wirelessly to the Apple TV box using mirroring and the game play on the TV suffered quite badly. So in other words, using this method on Zwift meant the moving images kept on stopping and starting i.e. it was jerky instead of a smooth, uninterrupted “stream”. It’s too rubbish to bother with so I’ll revert back to my laptop until I get a genuine Apple adaptor… and it was my New Years Resolution not to send any more money Apples way damn it !!!

23

Might be easier for you to get an AppleTV 4K and be done with it. It is super simple and Zwift runs great on it. It renders in 1080p w/menus in 4K. Not gaming rig quality, but very nice. I prefer it over my iPhone and MacBook Pro. Also allows you to use the Companion app via your phone while you ride. Something to consider…:man_shrugging: