Ever since Apple’s beloved iPad was released, developers have been clamoring to create the ideal second screen experience. Now, over seven years since Steve Jobs presented the first iPad on stage, Astro HQ just might have cracked the code.
The company—whom some might remember as the creators of Astropad, a utility for turning your iPad into a Wacom-like graphics tablet for Mac—recently announced their new Luna Display utility for turning any iPad into a hi-fidelity, wireless second display for Mac. Yes—this means (supposed) seamless connectivity between two displays that you can pack into a rucksack.
Available for Mini DisplayPort or USB-C, Luna sets up quickly and works over an existing Wi-Fi network. The real power behind Luna, however, is that it sources its power directly from an existing graphics card—rather than hacking it to power a simulated display like other apps on the market.
“We developed Luna because we knew there was a better solution than relying on software to turn an iPad into a second display,” explain Astro HQ founders Matt Ronge & Giovanni Donelli, who previously worked as engineers at Apple.
“Software apps literally hack your graphics card, delivering a glitchy and unreliable picture. Software tricks your Mac into thinking a display is attached, when in fact they get no benefit of graphics acceleration or Metal GPU support. It’s like buying a car and only using half the engine. So unlike software apps, Luna harnesses the raw power of your graphics card, giving you the full benefit of its graphics acceleration — delivering a stunning second monitor that’s 100% wire free.”
Donelli and Ronge have already raised over $350K (with an original goal of $30K) and have over a month-and-a-half to go through their Kickstarter campaign.
To think how far we’ve come in just a few years—from clunky desktop workstations to portable backpack studios—is a feat in itself. We only hope that Astro HQ can deliver the goods when Luna Display finally goes live.
Be among the first in line when they finally launch (estimated to be May 2018) starting at just $65.
