Core77

Using an iPad as an external monitor

By Rain Noe - April 7, 2010

in Tech | Object Culture

Right now I am wading through tons of iPad app listings, scouring the store to bring you reviews of ID-relevant apps. Out of the thousands, so far I've only found two that I'm working on. (If you hear or spot something you think an ID'er would want to try out, drop a line or a link in the comments.)

This isn't strictly ID-related, but one of the iPad rumors I wishfully believed prior to the initial announcement was that you'd be able to use it as a second monitor. That woulda been sooooo cool, and a relative steal at $499. I could've put my palettes there, or had a dedicated Tweetdeck screen, oh, the possibilities! And then I could just snap it off and watch movies while doing dishes!

Well, turns out for $503.99--that's $499 for the cheapest iPad and $4.99 for the iDisplay app by Shape Services--you can actually make it happen. Running the app and performing a little server/client voodoo on your machine enables you to turn an iPad (or, risibly, even an iPhone) into an external monitor.

Sound too good to be true? As Gizmodo's iDisplay review shows, it just might be; it's apparently a bit buggy and slow, providing action on the second screen ranging from "choppy but mousable" to "VERY slow." Here's to hoping they work the bugs out on this one. In the meantime I'm diving back into the app pool and should have some reviews for you soon.

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Spiv

14 years ago

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A larger monitor that doesn't have an annoying glossy screen goes for ~$100USD these days. You don't need an app to run that.

That said I'm still up in the air about the iPad- it looks very cool, but its jack-of-some-trades thing makes it only kind of useful for a handful of things. Of course, success is not necessarily about being the right answer for any one thing, so only time will tell.

I do agree with DangerD up there: waterproof would have been a game changer. Of course that goes for anything coming out IMO. (It still blows my mind that they don't bother to make waterproof cellphones standard).
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JP

14 years ago

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DO NOT DOWNLOAD THIS APP.

I have to reinstall my OS to remove fundamental issues with my MBP and external displays caused by this application.
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DangerD

14 years ago

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The only real use for this "new" piece of technology is surely in places where normal laptops are not appropriate. If the iPad was waterproof then that would be a cool piece of technology. Imagine being able to put it by the sink as you cook up a new receipe, use it to surf the web and play music as you lounge around in the pool.
That would make this useful.
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Lee

14 years ago

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This is a great concept, and the software/app combo that iDisplay provides technically works; but it's simply unusable. Mousing over to the iPad and clicking/dragging a piece of window chrome was a tedious chore and the app repeatedly crashed. It's cool for a second - but this is serious Alpha-ware.
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