Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Tip 52
Quickly Switch Audio Output (Including AirPlay)
Smaller MacBooks come with a single 3.5mm audio jack, which has the dual
purpose of being a line-in audio port and a headphone socket. You can switch
between the two modes using the Sound component within System Preferences
(Apple menu→System Preferences)—select whichever entry you want from
the drop-down menu alongside Use Audio Port For. However, a quicker way
to switch is to hold down the
OPTION
key and click the volume control icon at
the top right of the screen. Then select either Input or Output from the menu
that appears.
Note that you can switch modes only if there's nothing plugged into the
socket at the time, such as a pair of headphones.
This same trick lets you instantly select AirPlay as an audio output, provided
your Mac is compatible with AirPlay
3
and you're within Wi-Fi range of an
Apple TV device or a recent model AirPort Express wireless hub that's attached
to a speaker system.
Just select the AirPlay device from the list under the Output Device heading
in the menu that appears when you hold down
OPTION
and click the volume
icon at the top right of the screen (see
Figure 11,
Selecting an AirPlay device
Figure 11—Selecting an AirPlay device for audio output
3.
