Duet turns iPads into your Mac's second monitor

Have you ever wished you could use your iPad as an external monitor to your computer? Thanks to Duet you can - if you have a Mac.

Using a tablet (or smartphone) as a secondary external monitor to a computer is something that has been tried before, but current implementations usually rely on WiFi to transfer the image to the mobile device. This causes lag and delays that make it unsuitable for fast content, like video.

That's where Duet comes in, promising lag-free images, and it does so by ditching WiFi and using the 30-pin or Lightning cable to provide video without any delays. This means you can even use it to watch video (or play games) on your iPad, or simply move around windows from your Mac to the iPad without stuttering. Even though you're using your iPad (or iPhone, if you wish) as a screen, you can still use it's touch capabilities to interact with what's on screen, as well as use it in landscape or portrait orientation. You can even choose between retina and regular resolutions (suitable for older Mac) and 30 and 60Hz.

Even though it seems there are still some bugs to be fixed (something we hope to be done quickly, as the developer is an ex-Apple engineer that worked for 3 years on the iPad and iMac) this seems to be the perfect way to turn your iPad into an extra monitor. I just hope someone realizes that using a tablet this way is something that should have been considered right from the start, and that eventually it will become one of the "basic features" we can expect all devices to have.

The Duet Display is available on the App Store for $14.99.