Can I view my iPhone 5S screen on my older iMac??

[osxOG]

I am looking to view the screen of my iphone 5S on my (obviously dated) iMac 8,1. (OSX 10.5.8). I understand I do not have many of the wireless sharing options on this iMac. I was wondering if there was a wire, or possibly two interconnected in which I could directly connect my iPhone 5S to the iMac; perhaps through it's mini vga port. Possible??

 

[harryb2448]

You have gone nearly a decade without upgrading the operating system? Leopard OS X.5 won't do much at all. Suggest purchasing Snow Leopard OS X.6 from Apple Online, and then you can upgrade to El Capitan OS X.11. Lter oerating systems are free once you get OS X.6, then OS X>7 on the computer.

 

[pigoo3]

I am looking to view the screen of my iphone 5S on my (obviously dated) iMac 8,1. (OSX 10.5.8). I understand I do not have many of the wireless sharing options on this iMac. I was wondering if there was a wire, or possibly two interconnected in which I could directly connect my iPhone 5S to the iMac; perhaps through it's mini vga port. Possible??

Yes it is possible. But as Harry mentioned...you probably need to upgrade the OS on your computer first.

After you get the OS upgrade finished (if you choose to do it). Here's an article that describes how to view your iPhone's display on your computer:

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/welcome-to-another-installment-of-pogues-basics-102458041654.html

- Nick

 

[osxOG]

Yes, there is quite a bit I need to upgrade on this iMac. Thank you for the article suggestion.

Is it possible there is another way to make this work without an upgrade?? I may be reaching for the stars here.

 

[pigoo3]

Upgrade the computer...after almost 10 years it's time!

- Nick

 

[pm-r]

Upgrade the computer...after almost 10 years it's time!

- Nick

Why…???

My wife's 2007 24' iMac7,1 works very well for all her uses.

And without any of the problem posts I read about here with many much later iMacs I might add.





- Patrick
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[chscag]

Yes, there is quite a bit I need to upgrade on this iMac. Thank you for the article suggestion.

Is it possible there is another way to make this work without an upgrade?? I may be reaching for the stars here.

Yes there is but I'm not sure it will work with your old iMac and version of Leopard.

Take a look at "Reflector 2".

 

[harryb2448]

Despite what Patrick says with his obsolete musings, you are going to have to update for the apps shown on these two links. Reflector 2 is available at the App Store and to access the App Store you need at least OS X.6.6 and an Apple ID.

The one Nick mentions at Yahoo reuires even later operating system in Yosemite OS X.10. Start with Snow Leopard available from Apple Online for the outlandish sum of $20 including postage.


http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MC573Z/A/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard

 

[chscag]

@osxOG:

Reflector 2 requires OS X 10.7.5 or later and is $14.99. It is not available from the Mac App Store or the iTunes Store. Go to the link I provided above as that is the developer's web site. You can download the trial version first if you wish. That will work for you as long as you are using Lion or above. Your iMac should be able to run Lion.

 

[harryb2448]

Where did I get OS 7.5.3?

However it does need as chascag correctly pointed out it needs Lion OS X.7 Lion which means upgrading past Snow Leopard, and recommended a wireless network running 802.11N. Is your router able to handle 802.11N?

 

[pigoo3]

Why…???

My wife's 2007 24' iMac7,1 works very well for all her uses.

And without any of the problem posts I read about here with many much later iMacs I might add.

You're losing track of the conversation at hand Patrick. We aren't talking about your wife's computer or any other users computer. We're talking about the OP's situation (wanting to view an iPhone screen on an Apple computer).

Referring to the link in post #2...it says (if I remember correctly)...at a minimum the Yosemite OS (10.10) is needed to do this. OP's computer is running 10.5.8...thus an OS upgrade to at least Yosemite is needed. OP also said "There is quite a bit I need to upgrade on this iMac". For these two reasons...this is why I said it's time to upgrade.

- Nick

 

[pigoo3]

Yes there is but I'm not sure it will work with your old iMac and version of Leopard.

Take a look at "Reflector 2".

Interesting app Charlie. It's amazing...come up with a need...and there almost always seems to be "An App for that!"

Providing of course the electronic device/devices in question meet the minimum requirememts for the app.

- Nick

 

[pm-r]

You're losing track of the conversation at hand Patrick.

My mistake Nick and I and maybe some others just took the statement to be a broad general Mac one rather than one aimed at a certain Mac and the problem the user is having. Sorry for the OT comment.






- Patrick
======

 

[pigoo3]

My mistake Nick and I and maybe some others just took the statement to be a broad general Mac one rather than one aimed at a certain Mac and the problem the user is having.

No problamo Patrick. If my post sounded that way...my apologies.

Heyyy. If someone is happy with the way their older Apple computer is running...with an older OS installed...good to go. Some folks in this situation:

- may be running older software that cannot be replaced with a newer version.
- may like the stability of thier computer
- may be resistant or hesitant to change
- may not even know or understand that what they have is older (since it may be working just fine)

Or:

- may not be experiencing any performance issue's (slowdown's)
- may not be experiencing any lack of feature issues (features available in newer OS versions)
- may not be experiencing any compatability issues (want to use newer hardware or new apps with their computer)

All three of these are generally why someone who's running an older computer with an older OS realizes an upgrade is necessary.

If someone is not experiencing any of this with an older computer with an older OS...all is probably good in computerland.

- Nick

p.s. Of course in your specific situation Patrick. Your wife has a very knowledgeable husband she probably relies on for most IT issue's (hardware or software). I'm sure this IT Person...would bring to the attention of "the wife" if something REALLY needed to be upgraded. Sounds like we haven't crossed that bridge yet.

 

[osxOG]

So I purchased two wires. One is a iphone to HDMI cable, to which I plugged a HDMI to Mini Dvi adapter.....now I have this all plugged into the mini DVI port.

Is there something I can do now that will allow me to see my iphone's screen on my (yes I know it's very old) iMac?

*new*
I've done more research and it seems the mini DVI port on my 2008 iMac is video out only. I also saw this post below:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/using-imac-g5-as-external-monitor-it-can-be-done.1110159/

This work around is very labor intensive and I am not a computer engineer. I have read that my computer does not support target display. I did restart and hold down the T and a firewire symbol appeared and that's it. Not sure what that meant.

Either way, here I sit with a once powerful computer that still has a large, usable screen. Is there any way the mini DVI port can be configured to accept video?

 

[pm-r]

Either way, here I sit with a once powerful computer that still has a large, usable screen.

I don't know if with of these would work but might be wort a visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB0tGWbhF2E&ab_channel=ComputerClan
and/or maybe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8yi9bJtkLY&ab_channel=BrianWoodTraining

It seems the free quicktime player may be able to help but didn't get into all the details.






- Patrick
======

 

[pigoo3]

I've done more research and it seems the mini DVI port on my 2008 iMac is video out only.

Exactly. Older iMac's can do "video-out" only.

Either way, here I sit with a once powerful computer that still has a large, usable screen.

It may have been powerful at one time...but an iMac 8,1 is now 9 years old...and is no longer powerful.

We've all dealt with this situation. We have an older computer that we would like to somehow continue to use...but at the end of the day...and old computer is an old computer. And many times the old computer just can't do everything newer computers may be able to do.

Is there any way the mini DVI port can be configured to accept video?

You're trying to use your iMac for a purpose it was never really designed for. And to complicate things further...you trying to do it with an iMac and an iPhone (kind of like mating a bananna with an Apple and seeing what happens). These two things (old iMac and iPhone) just weren't made to work together in this way.

The iMac is video out only...and trying to view an iPhone display on an external device (computer or monitor) is unusual & uncommon. And iPhone is a portable hand-help device...it was never meant to be "tethered" to an external monitor for iPhone screen viewing.

There may be complex ways to do this...and this is exactly why it is complex. iPhone's/iPhone display's really were not designed to easily do this. Sorry.

- Nick

 

[harryb2448]

Upgrade the computer.

Your are reaching for the far galaxies let alone the stars. In earth terms, you are now in the Ice Age, the dinosaurs have gone, but not by much!

 

[pm-r]

In earth terms, you are now in the Ice Age, the dinosaurs have gone, but not by much!

Just in case…








- Patrick
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