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I’m thinking of doing this with Duet Display app. I don’t mind the iPad attached to a Mac via USB cable.
 
No. The keyboard and mouse connect to the Mac, so the Mac has to be nearby. You can't just leave it at home and carry an iPad, keyboard, and mouse with you.

And it requires wifi. That's how it sends the video from the Mac to the iPad. Without wifi, you have no video connection.
But does the dongle create a wifi connection for the iPad to connect too? I’m not thinking of leaving the Mac at home, I’m thinking of taking the Mac to a hotel room that doesn’t have wifi. So just plug in the Mac, then use the iPad as the display. Apple Pencil as the mouse. Surely this will work??
 
Pardon me if I'm wrong but I think they meant if you had all the components together, but no existing wifi network. Say you're on a desert island, with a power source for some reason but no internet connection/router, can you still connect the Mac to the iPad?
Exactly what I was asking!
 
I’m thinking of doing this with Duet Display app. I don’t mind the iPad attached to a Mac via USB cable.
Probably what I would do, since it doesn't need any third-party dongles like this one does, only a cable that already comes with the iPad.
 
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But does the dongle create a wifi connection for the iPad to connect too? I’m not thinking of leaving the Mac at home, I’m thinking of taking the Mac to a hotel room that doesn’t have wifi. So just plug in the Mac, then use the iPad as the display. Apple Pencil as the mouse. Surely this will work??

No, the dongle doesn't create wifi.

There might be a chance you can create an ad-hoc network with the Mac mini and then connect to it with the iPad.

Others have mentioned that this doesn't work well as a headless setup like the article suggests. There are issues with the app and restarting it without a real monitor attached would be impossible.

You're far far better off just leaving the Mac at home and using one of the countless remote desktop options to remotely connect to it with your iPad while on the road. It's a LOT less stuff to carry with you and it actually works well.
 
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This makes me want a new iPad and Mac mini. How is lag with this? It’s kit like airplay from a laptop to a tv via Appletv is it? Cause it’s slower then normal and makes me not want to use it as a display.
 
Probably what I would do, since it doesn't need any third-party dongles like this one does, only a cable that already comes with the iPad.
Isn’t there still an issue with Duet where the resolution is quite low, as the workaround for the MacOS utilises airplay?
 
there’s the need to type the Mac password again or restart the app...

Up until it is only about typing in the password you may give Knock a go. It is also not flawless but works surprisingly well for me. (I'm having a traditional Mac setup though, with a mini, a screen etc., so if Knock fails, I get by in a minute.)
 
Right! I don’t see how this is different than the Screens app. Other than Screens doesn’t need a dongle.
does the screens app have any lag? Airplay lag is very different then plugging in straight to a display.
 
does the screens app have any lag? Airplay lag is very different then plugging in straight to a display.
There should be no difference between using VNC or similar solutions over Wi-Fi or connecting to a dongle over Wi-Fi.
 
Hasn't this been around for years? Don't need a fancy new iPad or Mac mini to use duet display, or some of the countless WiFi alternatives, to extend your Mac's display to the iPad.
 
You’ve got the dongle? What’s the latency like when doing something visual but not taxing, like moving a finder window around in a circle?


I use it to mirror Photoshop, working with brushes on large illustrations, with files as big as 1gb, and there’s no lag at all.
All of this on WiFi, with cable there’s even less latency.
 
So, for only $799 (Mac mini) + $799 (iPad Pro) + 80 (Luna Display) + $149 (keyboard) + $99 (mouse), you have an almost complete least ergonomic desktop computer ever. What a deal!

This reads a bit like satire. Astropad on its own is very interesting. Mac mini and iPad Pro on their own are compelling products. This combination, however, seems more like a fun hobby product for rich people.
 
There should be no difference between using VNC or similar solutions over Wi-Fi or connecting to a dongle over Wi-Fi.

Hasn't this been around for years? Don't need a fancy new iPad or Mac mini to use duet display, or some of the countless WiFi alternatives, to extend your Mac's display to the iPad.

I don’t think this is simply extending the macOS display with highly limited UI controls and behaviours (title bar/menu bar, KB shortcuts, actions, pure mouse like controls just with pen and touch screen).

I’d like to see this over an LTE/5G connection. With this what’s the point of Adobe making their creative suite to iOS full feature parity when this solution immediately allows for storage.
 
I don’t think this is simply extending the macOS display with highly limited UI controls and behaviours (title bar/menu bar, KB shortcuts, actions, pure mouse like controls just with pen and touch screen).

I’d like to see this over an LTE/5G connection. With this what’s the point of Adobe making their creative suite to iOS full feature parity when this solution immediately allows for storage.

Good luck getting remote screen latency over LTE to a level acceptable to artists.
 
Good luck getting remote screen latency over LTE to a level acceptable to artists.

Hmm ... are you saying latency is as bad as GPRS or EDGE days? Latency for regular LTE or LTE+ should be less than 10ms ... which is 10ms more than the same 10ms that is current in Apple Pencil 1. Have you tried the scenario I've hypothesized and noticed the latency? I'm honestly very curious.
 
Hmm ... are you saying latency is as bad as GPRS or EDGE days?

Nope.

Latency for regular LTE or LTE+ should be less than 10ms

I just tried with my iPhone sitting on the table, and it's 38ms.

... which is 10ms more than the same 10ms that is current in Apple Pencil 1. Have you tried the scenario I've hypothesized and noticed the latency? I'm honestly very curious.

But those 20ms (which I can't even reach; in my case, you'd have 48ms!) would still give you, at best, 50 Hz.

Even 10ms isn't that great.
 
This looks like a good use for my wife’s iPad Pro that is getting replaced this Christmas. What version would I use for my new iMac?
 
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