Bluetooth offers short-range wireless connections
Mac Tip #174/24-Nov-2004

In the tenth century King Harold Bluetooth helped unite warring factions in what is now Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

So many ways to connect devices

In the 1980s and 1990s there were many “warring factions” of methods to connect devices to one another: serial connections, parallel, USB, Firewire, infrared and more.

It seemed that no two devices used the same cable or even the same type of plug on the end of the cable.

Could you plug your handheld into your Mac? How about your phone? What about the digital camera? Headphones? Mouse? Keyboard?

And even if you could plug everything in, you probably didn’t have enough ports (the slots the cables go into) and you had to fight your way through writhing tangles of cables.

Short-range wireless connections

Until Bluetooth came along, that is, and allowed devices to communicate without any wires at all. Take away the problem of the wires and suddenly everything becomes much easier.

Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology (up to 10 metres) which allows you to connect devices to one another. One example is a Bluetooth mouse or keyboard.

Bluetooth mouse or keyboard

Many modern Macs come equipped with Bluetooth, either built-in, or as an optional extra. Match that capability with a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard and you can now do away with the cables cluttering your desk. Get the right type of Bluetooth cellphone and you can use it as a modem for your Mac when you travel.

See also: www.apple.com/bluetooth.