12 south are pretty nice, but my wife had a bad experience with their SurfacePad iPhone case (really awesome case, but the leather wears heavily after 1-2 months)
Regarding it being done before, I tried this app (http://minidisplayapp.com/userguide/en/) that offered similar with an iPad mini, but the extra space wasn't really big enough to make it worthwhile.
I wonder how they achieve "Zero lag". I've been using similar software ( AirDisplay [1] ) and the lagging is awful.
You have to be certified hardware manufacturer if you want to use the USB connection to transmit any data between the iPad and your Mac [2]. So my bet is they either use WiFi ( which can roughly get 60fps on retina resolution ) or Bluetooth 4. In both cases I think the refresh rate would not satisfy in a lot of cases, e.g. playing a YouTube video through their software on the iPad.
"Most importantly, Duet Display is the first app that actually turns your iPad into a second display I’d actually like to use. As someone who has tried Air Display and uninstalled it shortly afterward, frustrated, I can honestly say this is the only option that’s worth it."
Interesting, I tried Air Display and (another app) ages ago and used it off and on. It was "neat" and worked well as my Terminal window but a very poor stand for a monitor.
My guess would be they're just using the shared documents area .
There's a number of libraries on the desktop that let you access an API to write to the shared documents area. I'd guess they'd just be piping a mp4 feed to this and the iOS would just be reading from there.
I haven't seen examples of folks trying to use iPads (for example) as X11 displays, likely because it's outside my area of expertise. Do you know of any examples?
iSSH includes an X11 display server, and I've had reasonable success using it with clients on an assortment of architectures, including a Tru64 VM running Open Genera. I wouldn't expect it to work well with something like video playback unless you've got a very fast and uncongested wireless network (or possibly a Lightning-to-Ethernet adapter, if such things exist), but if you don't need that kind of sustained responsiveness, it's at least worth a try.
I think the original product link isn't using wireless but instead depends on a wired connection. I've heard about using X11 over the internet but I'm worried that the lag would make this approach more annoying than effective.
It would be great to have a wired connection option on other operating systems besides the Mac.
I do a lot of reading / annotating on my iPad. My other use case mostly involves emacs. I'd love to have a Linux matchstick dongle that I could simply plug in to my iPad to run emacs (and associated goodies like R, Python, etc).
I downloaded the application, and it prompted a restart to install a driver, but did nothing further. duet.app does nothing when I open it, and plugging in my iPad does nothing either. Looks like we have to wait for the App Store release to install the iPad half of the app.
After installing, there is an icon in my menubar that says I should open duet on my iOS [1]. I believe we wait for the iOS app tomorrow and see what's the price and how this thing works
I've occasionally used AirDisplay when doing minor HTML/CSS stuff (browser on iPad, emacs with impatient-mode on Mac) and it's useful, nice, but when doing heavier lifting lag kills it. I'll definitely be getting it tomorrow, and look forward seeing if I get to use it more or "as often as I did."
Wonder how much bandwidth is required to drive this... My USB3.0 port is taken by an SSD hosting virtual machines, the other is hooked to a powered hub.
Assuming the video stream is compressed (MP4?) it shouldn't take too much. We're pretty used to streaming HD over the internet, so even USB2 should be able to handle it.
> the first app that allows you to use your iDevice as an extra display for your Mac
I stumbled upon iDisplay.com the other day. Can't recommend anything though, I'm not an apple user, I was looking for ways to replicate my android phone display in my desktop Linux.
Not really:
I tried android-screencast [1] but had to root my phone, the framerate was terrible, lots of crashes, touch gestures not really satisfying.
The other option was using genymotion, works well, but some apps can't be installed multiple times (whatsapp I'm looking at you).
If anyone knows a better way to do so, thank you in advance!
For a little bit I was using a Nexus 10 as a secondary display - I used Google Chrome's remote desktop to view a separate X session, with Synergy for sharing my input devices between them (which is now paid for?!). Worked great, except you couldn't see the mouse cursor on the Nexus... :( Ultimately it was more annoying than helpful. (Edit: just realised that's broadcasting in the opposite direction to what you're asking for)
http://web.airdroid.com/ maybe? Lots of drawbacks, though, and not 1:1 mirroring I believe, so may not fit your needs. But seems to support whatsapp via screen mirroring + custom keyboard (probably?).
Haven't tested since I'm currently on iOS.
Koush's Mirror app[1] works alright with his Allcast Receiver Chrome app. The interesting thing is that using it actually revealed a (broken) second screen mode in one of the apps I use, didn't know Android had APIs for that. Perhaps it's intended for Chromecast/Miracast and whatever Mirror does looks like that.
Ah. I see. Got a little confused because the Mac app is already available, so I thought it was just a matter of old sign up form not removed from site yet.
I would love to use this to share my Macbook screen on an iPad with a client. One screen seems to small for more than two people to share. Perhaps I could even connect multiple iPads for small presentations without a projector. All running in mirror mode.
My iPad 1 is pretty much a paperweight these days (I know, I know, never buy the first version of anything Apple). This could be a great new use for it.
What's wrong with it? I have a first gen iPad and it still works fine. In fact I almost wish it would die already so that I would have a valid excuse to buy a new one.
Mine is full of kids games. Admittedly I've run across one or two games that didn't work, but it's not like I've ever experienced a lack of available kids games.
Did you upgrade iOS to version 5? I did, and it's never been the same since. I can now barely use the web browser without it crashing. Some domains are totally unusable; appears to be related to javascript use. Low-impact sites, such as HN, are OK. Other apps (such as the app store and many games) are very prone to crashing, too. There's very little I can use it for now without getting frustrated and giving up.
I have the same experience. I wish I could get a better web browser for it. my ipad 1 is just a video player/ book reader at this point (which isn't bad, just not grat)
I just checked, and I'm running 5.1.1. No crashes, no problems worth mentioning. Sure it's not the fastest thing on the block, but most sites and apps I use run perfectly fine. Admittedly I don't really play any CPU or graphics intensive games.
At the risk of answering without a guaranteed answer, "probably not," given the amount of the power necessary to drive that screen and complex architecture inside the box to make it work. But Target Display Mode as a thing has been around for a while.
So uh, why is the marketing being done today when the release is tomorrow? I'll probably have forgotten about it by then. I wouldn't mind it though, the other ones (using wifi streaming) never really worked for me. And I wonder why this isn't a default feature in iOS / OSX.
Actually a bit simpler, Business Insider released the article to fill their timeline not Duet's launch date. The app is still awaiting review and with the app store being so busy this season it's hard to give a hard date. Expected to be released later this week.
I've been using Air Display for a long time for when I'm on the go. Does anybody have experience with both and which is better? Never really had problems with Air Display - if you don't expect it to work as a full external display. However lag has always been very manageable for me
Product launches tomorrow, so hardly any comparisons can be made. It seems to be promising - wired connection means higher bandwidth and improved latency. Supposedly can do Retina resolutions at 60hz.
I see now, I should have been reading better - my bad. I also read in this thread that Air Display had some troubles with Yosemite, but I haven't updated on my work machine yet so I hadn't seen these problems.
Streaming over USB seems promising though, I needed to plug in my iPad for the battery.
Any VNC app allows you to view and control your screen. I like RealVNC. The corresponding app on Android and iOS is called VNC Viewer. There are several companies/projects that offer this functionality.
I've been beta testing duet for about a month now. As a person that travels a lot, it's awesome. The developers have done an incredible job, and have been very responsive in fixing the bugs I've reported to them.
However, a couple of things to note. Firstly, this is lag free, but still not something you should play videos on. I'm not sure what the framerate is, but I'd be surprised if it's over 30fps. I believe this is probably a result of using USB.
Secondly, I never thought I'd say this, but retina is not your friend. On the new iPads, the OS X menu bar is maybe a centimeter tall. Obviously, you can change the resolution, but I like hi-res, and you just see so little when you bump it up (keep in mind the new iPad is only 1024 by 768).
The app is the best it can be, but what I'd emphasize is that most people should really get a second monitor, if that's what they're looking for. I understand you could save some money, but iPads just don't offer enough real estate.
Again, kudos to the devs for doing a great job on the app though.
I know this is nit-picky, but Duet is not "the first app that allows you to use your iDevice as an extra display". It's not even the second. There's an opportunity here for better copy to differentiate themselves.
Also, I've always thought this would reduce the life of your ipad. Has anyone noticed this?
Battery is definitely a concern, though it probably doesn't matter since it will be plugged up. The screen dimming might be a concern for me as well. Honestly though, now that I think about it, I've never been worried about that with my laptop, so I probably shouldn't care about it with my ipad.
118 comments
[ 3.5 ms ] story [ 185 ms ] threadI have a question about the image - whats the stand used for the iPad?
12 south are pretty nice, but my wife had a bad experience with their SurfacePad iPhone case (really awesome case, but the leather wears heavily after 1-2 months)
I think there was/is also another App available doing it.
The same goes for DisplayPad.
The key here is that this is not a wifi streamcast.
These guys claim to be using the lightning cable. Which means maybe, just maybe, I can plug two of them in at once.
You have to be certified hardware manufacturer if you want to use the USB connection to transmit any data between the iPad and your Mac [2]. So my bet is they either use WiFi ( which can roughly get 60fps on retina resolution ) or Bluetooth 4. In both cases I think the refresh rate would not satisfy in a lot of cases, e.g. playing a YouTube video through their software on the iPad.
1: https://avatron.com/applications/air-display/ 2: https://avatron.com/support/faq-air-display/#toggle-id-13
EDIT:
I've found more information on their facebook page [3]
> To setup, download and open duet on your Mac (for free) and on iOS.
> Connect your device using a lightning or 30 pin cable. Done.
> No need to worry about firewall settings, Wi-Fi speed or your 802.11n network.
> Duet is secure, simple, and allows you to use your iOS and OS X devices in harmony.
So I guess I was wrong with my bets. Maybe they got a hardware manufacturer license from Apple. Anyway launch is on 16th, so let's see.
3: https://www.facebook.com/duetdisplay/info?tab=page_info
Has a review
Interesting, I tried Air Display and (another app) ages ago and used it off and on. It was "neat" and worked well as my Terminal window but a very poor stand for a monitor.
Looks like I'll be dusting off my iPad 2.
There's a number of libraries on the desktop that let you access an API to write to the shared documents area. I'd guess they'd just be piping a mp4 feed to this and the iOS would just be reading from there.
It would be great to have a wired connection option on other operating systems besides the Mac.
If this is the case I'd worry about the internal flash drive of the iPad. There must be a lot writes.
1: http://i.imgur.com/1fEHPLF.png
http://www.cultofmac.com/247700/sidecar-hangs-your-ipad-from...
I stumbled upon iDisplay.com the other day. Can't recommend anything though, I'm not an apple user, I was looking for ways to replicate my android phone display in my desktop Linux.
The other option was using genymotion, works well, but some apps can't be installed multiple times (whatsapp I'm looking at you).
If anyone knows a better way to do so, thank you in advance!
[1] https://code.google.com/p/androidscreencast/
[1] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.koushikdut...
[1]: https://avatron.com/applications/air-display/
My iPad 1 is pretty much a paperweight these days (I know, I know, never buy the first version of anything Apple). This could be a great new use for it.
http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT3924
They want your email, Twitter following, and other things that are more useful over time than your casual perusal after launch.
What am I missing about this sentence that seems to make "the first" false in the face of things like Air Display?
Streaming over USB seems promising though, I needed to plug in my iPad for the battery.
It is odd that this company would place a large lie as the first readable text.
Duet is the first app that allows you to use your iDevice as an extra display for your Mac using the Lightning or 30-pin cable.
This app uses a cable. All the other apps use wifi.
https://web.archive.org/web/20141215154238/http://www.duetdi...
It now basically does nothing just blinking in the statues bar.
But I observe sudden CPU usage surge of this app from the activity monitor, not sure whether it is because of not pairing an iOS app or not
And also, my chrome feels significantly lagged.
However, a couple of things to note. Firstly, this is lag free, but still not something you should play videos on. I'm not sure what the framerate is, but I'd be surprised if it's over 30fps. I believe this is probably a result of using USB.
Secondly, I never thought I'd say this, but retina is not your friend. On the new iPads, the OS X menu bar is maybe a centimeter tall. Obviously, you can change the resolution, but I like hi-res, and you just see so little when you bump it up (keep in mind the new iPad is only 1024 by 768).
The app is the best it can be, but what I'd emphasize is that most people should really get a second monitor, if that's what they're looking for. I understand you could save some money, but iPads just don't offer enough real estate.
Again, kudos to the devs for doing a great job on the app though.
Also, I've always thought this would reduce the life of your ipad. Has anyone noticed this?