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adamfozzy

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 4, 2012
122
80
Hi all,

Is anyone using the iPad pro 11 inch as main device at desk with an external monitor and could share their experiences? Thinking of using this method to replace my Macbook 12 inch I have just traded it in. With the possibility of iPadOS shortly supporting extended displays then it may make it even more useful.

Thanks in advance.
 

sparksd

macrumors G3
Jun 7, 2015
9,961
33,936
Seattle WA
Hi all,

Is anyone using the iPad pro 11 inch as main device at desk with an external monitor and could share their experiences? Thinking of using this method to replace my Macbook 12 inch I have just traded it in. With the possibility of iPadOS shortly supporting extended displays then it may make it even more useful.

Thanks in advance.

Why is there a possibility? I don't think there have been any credible rumors about it.
 

cupcakes2000

macrumors 601
Apr 13, 2010
4,031
5,424
Monitor support is extremely limited at the moment, and unfortunately isnt really a viable solution to use, certainly when compared to mac support. It only mirrors the screen, and then does nothing to scale the resolution or aspect ratio. I‘m hoping for an update to this situation but at the moment its not great.
 
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adamfozzy

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 4, 2012
122
80
Monitor support is extremely limited at the moment, and unfortunately isnt really a viable solution to use, certainly when compared to mac support. It only mirrors the screen, and then does nothing to scale the resolution or aspect ratio. I‘m hoping for an update to this situation but at the moment its not great.
Yes, hoping for an update in iPadOS 14 on this too.
 
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adamfozzy

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 4, 2012
122
80
The OP said "With the possibility of iPadOS shortly supporting ..." which I assumed to mean there were rumors. Maybe another way to put it would be "With the possibility of iPadOS someday supporting ...".
Very helpful - I think that'll do me on this forum. Adieu Macrumors. Someday I may return...
 

BigMcGuire

Cancelled
Jan 10, 2012
9,832
14,032
I used a USB C to Display/HDMI with a 4k monitor with my iPad Pro 11 (2018). I found because the iPad used its own display and mirrored it to the 4k monitor it drained battery like crazy. Was fun using it for a short period of time with a mouse/keyboard but the battery dropped fairly quickly - enough for me to consider not using it.

I don't want to spend $60+ on a dongle that allows me to power and display out...

iPad/iOS utilize the battery even when plugged in so it would put excessive charge cycles on the battery.
 

sparksd

macrumors G3
Jun 7, 2015
9,961
33,936
Seattle WA
I used a USB C to Display/HDMI with a 4k monitor with my iPad Pro 11 (2018). I found because the iPad used its own display and mirrored it to the 4k monitor it drained battery like crazy. Was fun using it for a short period of time with a mouse/keyboard but the battery dropped fairly quickly - enough for me to consider not using it.

I don't want to spend $60+ on a dongle that allows me to power and display out...

iPad/iOS utilize the battery even when plugged in so it would put excessive charge cycles on the battery.

Better to use a hub with a pass-through power supply in addition to HDMI support.
 

gnomeisland

macrumors 65816
Jul 30, 2008
1,097
833
New York, NY
I occasionally attach mine to a USB-C monitor. Limited functionality under the current software. Most apps just mirror the iPad display so you letterboxing on the display. Some take advantage. With the, surprisingly good, mouse support I think improved implementation is likely but not until late fall/winter with iOS 14.

Remember we only JUST got iCloud folder sharing so even announced features can take 6-8months to be released.
 

adamfozzy

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 4, 2012
122
80
I used a USB C to Display/HDMI with a 4k monitor with my iPad Pro 11 (2018). I found because the iPad used its own display and mirrored it to the 4k monitor it drained battery like crazy. Was fun using it for a short period of time with a mouse/keyboard but the battery dropped fairly quickly - enough for me to consider not using it.

I don't want to spend $60+ on a dongle that allows me to power and display out...

iPad/iOS utilize the battery even when plugged in so it would put excessive charge cycles on the battery.
Thank you.
 
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0128672

Cancelled
Apr 16, 2020
5,962
4,783
I'm interested in trying this with my new 12.9, but am unclear about the cable requirements. I have a USB-C to DP cable, which I tried with the iPad but it just kept restarting the iPad. Must the monitor also have a USB-C port so that it's USB-C to USB-C?
 
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BigMcGuire

Cancelled
Jan 10, 2012
9,832
14,032
I'm interested in trying this with my new 12.9, but am unclear about the cable requirements. I have a USB-C to DP cable, which I tried with the iPad but it just kept restarting the iPad. Must the monitor also have a USB-C port so that it's USB-C to USB-C?

I used a usb c to display port for my iPad Pro 11 2018. Worked for me. Most apps didn’t utilize the full 4k Samsung monitor's resolution. Only a few. Rest were scaled.
 
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sparksd

macrumors G3
Jun 7, 2015
9,961
33,936
Seattle WA
I'm interested in trying this with my new 12.9, but am unclear about the cable requirements. I have a USB-C to DP cable, which I tried with the iPad but it just kept restarting the iPad. Must the monitor also have a USB-C port so that it's USB-C to USB-C?

That's weird. No, it does not need to be USB-C to USB-C - I am using USB-C to HDMI on both a monitor and TV. I use either the Apple HDMI adapter or a hub with HDMI output for the connection.
 

0128672

Cancelled
Apr 16, 2020
5,962
4,783
That's weird. No, it does not need to be USB-C to USB-C - I am using USB-C to HDMI on both a monitor and TV. I use either the Apple HDMI adapter or a hub with HDMI output for the connection.
Ah, ok thanks sparksd. I'll investigate why it kept restarting the IPP. Anyone else connecting via DP?
 

augustya

Suspended
Feb 17, 2012
3,331
464
I used a USB C to Display/HDMI with a 4k monitor with my iPad Pro 11 (2018). I found because the iPad used its own display and mirrored it to the 4k monitor it drained battery like crazy. Was fun using it for a short period of time with a mouse/keyboard but the battery dropped fairly quickly - enough for me to consider not using it.

I don't want to spend $60+ on a dongle that allows me to power and display out...

iPad/iOS utilize the battery even when plugged in so it would put excessive charge cycles on the battery.

So an external display hooked up with an iPad Pro would most definitely drain the battery of the iPad Pro earlier than usual ? All the times ?
 

augustya

Suspended
Feb 17, 2012
3,331
464
Just use a hub or adapter with power pass-through to the iPad. You're using a stationary monitor so it's not excessive baggage.

Ok I dont know which Hub and Adapter do you mean ? I mean I know a couple.of them but which one exactly works in this scenario, can you post a link of a similar product or something ?

And so does using a Hub or an Adapter as you say does not deplete the battery in the iPad Pro ? How does using Hub or an Adapter help ?
 

jamesdean74

macrumors member
Jul 15, 2008
42
53
This is my setup, the iPad Pro connected via usb c to the caldigit usb c pro hub, which has hdmi and DP video output, I use the DP output into a Samsung 28” 4K monitor. Charges my iPad and works great!
38532806e04c65b0b2efe3b84df5e59d.jpg

a1d8b7f2cbc518b3e34e8803a81d8850.jpg
 
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