iPad Pro iPad Pro as M1 Mac Mini monitor?

[Letterman]

Hello, just wondering if anyone knows if my 2018 iPad Pro 12.9" 1TB can be used as a monitor natively with the new M1 Mac Minis? I believe Sidecar will only work if there is already a designated primary monitor. I am aware of Luna Display and Duet, but would like to know if the M1 chip or Big Sur might now allow an iPad Pro to be work as A primary or native monitor for the new Mac mini. Thanks in advance for any relevant info

 

[AutomaticApple]

Hello, just wondering if anyone knows if my 2018 iPad Pro 12.9" 1TB can be used as a monitor natively with the new M1 Mac Minis? I believe Sidecar will only work if there is already a designated primary monitor. I am aware of Luna Display and Duet, but would like to know if the M1 chip or Big Sur might now allow an iPad Pro to be work as A primary or native monitor for the new Mac mini. Thanks in advance for any relevant info

As you mentioned, you'd have to use Luna Display or Duet Display in order to achieve that.

 

[Letterman]

As you mentioned, you'd have to use Luna Display or Duet Display in order to achieve that.

Ok, so it is indeed known already that with all the new changes to hardware and OS, the new Mac mini still will not support an iPad as a main display? I don't disbelieve you, I'm just wondering how that is known as fact.

 

[ericwn]

There’s certainly nothing advertised on the Mini page nor stated in its tech specs. I suppose Apple would put a marketing focus on the feature were it available.

 

[muzzy996]

Trying to relate to the need here. I can understand the desire for sidecar but a small iPad screen as a primary monitor for a Mac Mini - surely an inexpensive monitor can be found? Perhaps even free from a friend who has an old one that they no longer need?

 

[Letterman]

Trying to relate to the need here. I can understand the desire for sidecar but a small iPad screen as a primary monitor for a Mac Mini - surely an inexpensive monitor can be found? Perhaps even free from a friend who has an old one that they no longer need?

Sorry for the delayed reply. Fair question; the main reason is that I still prefer certain features in MacOs vs iPadOS. I want to keep the portability of the iPad, as I use it not only for photo viewing/editing but as my screen to watch my shows as I make the kids' school lunches at night, etc. It's easier for those purposes than a MacBook. If I travel it's perfect, though of course that's all on hold right now. I prefer to organize my photos and videos my own way with my own file structure, using the Files app. However, as far as I know there is no way to view my images in Files consecutively in their folders with a viewer; everything has to be imported into Photos first, organized Apple's way. I don't know if Lightroom would act as a viewer in Files, but I'm not willing to pay the CDN subscription rates anyway. There are viewers that work for MacOS (Lyn, for example), and there are other editing programs for Mac that don't have iPad versions. I also prefer how easy it is to manage external drives with Mac OS, and obviously a Mac mini would give more connection options than the iPad, a Macbook air or pro.

The iPad Pro 12.9 screen is vibrant and clear, a bit better than the 13" MacBook screen. Having a Mac mini would allow me to use the mini with my tv and sound system for videos and music, and for other tasks best suited for a proper computer than an iPad (which for me is still not a full replacement). But everything would be perfect if I could use the iPad as a main screen, giving me all the options I need. Well, I guess I'll go over to the Luna site and see if that is the best option for the new mini.

 

[MevetS]

You might find this articles of interest, Federico Viticci’s use of a Mac mini with an iPad Pro.

iPad Diaries: Using a Mac from iOS, Part 1 – Finder Folders, Siri Shortcuts, and App Windows with Keyboard Maestro

iPad Diaries is a regular series about using the iPad as a primary computer. You can find more installments here and subscribe to the dedicated RSS feed. After several years without updates to a product that, somewhat oddly, “remained in Apple’s lineup”, the Mac mini was revived by the company...

www.macstories.net

Using a Mac from iOS, Part 2 – Luna Display and macOS as an App

iPad Diaries is a regular series about using the iPad as a primary computer. You can find more installments here and subscribe to the dedicated RSS feed. In the first part of my ongoing experiment with controlling and accessing a Mac from the iPad Pro, I covered FileExplorer – the app I use to open

www.macstories.net

Good luck and have fun.

 

[Opes]

It's not a current feature of iOS/Mac. You could always activate Screen Sharing on the Mac and use a VNC client on the iPad, but you'll experience minor lag and of course there is no boot-screen.

 

[danmart]

I have a Mac Mini (2018) and iPad Pro which I use in combo. The Mini plugs into the same monitor I use for my work PC and XBox etc but I also use it remotely from my iPad with this app: Screens. I find it very good and there is no reason why you couldn’t use it as your primary monitor if you really wanted to.

Also, you can load images onto your iPad (or have on your Mac*) as image files and view these using ‘Quick Look’. Just long-press on a file and choose this option. You can then swipe left and right to move through files in the directory as well. Sounds like that might meet your aim?

* You can add a link to your physical machine as a network drive in the Files app. I use this to access my library of art assets which are held on a RAID external drive attached to my Mac Mini. This works pretty well but the link does fail occasionally when I switch out of the Files app, meaning that I get flipped back to the ‘top level’ of the drive hierarchy and need to navigate back to where I was previously.

 

[Yoms]

Hello, just wondering if anyone knows if my 2018 iPad Pro 12.9" 1TB can be used as a monitor natively with the new M1 Mac Minis? I believe Sidecar will only work if there is already a designated primary monitor. I am aware of Luna Display and Duet, but would like to know if the M1 chip or Big Sur might now allow an iPad Pro to be work as A primary or native monitor for the new Mac mini. Thanks in advance for any relevant info

I know I'm late to the party, but since I did a little bit research on this, I answer.

You can achieve this with Sidecar only, but you need to have an external display for the very first configuration. This requirement is also applicable to Luna. The idea is to create a keyboard shortcut that will automatically enable Sidecar between your Mac and iPad, so that you can do it even w/o a monitor connected to your Mac. There are some limitations though. You have to disable automatic login on macOS (this is also a requirement for Luna) as Sidecar is only available when macOS is fully started.

Read this (it's about Luna, but applies to Sidecar as well)

Headless Mode — Setting up Luna Display - Knowledge Base

What is Headless Mode? Using Luna Display in headless mode allows you to turn your iPad or secondary Mac into the primary display for a Mac mini or Mac Studio.

help.astropad.com

And this:

Is Sidecar already available at login? (using Mac mini with iPad as only display)

Hi all, I've read a blog post on Luna's website. They state: "Luna Display requires a user to be logged in to run the Mac app. If you use FileVault, you may still need an external monitor to unlock your drive whenever you reboot. Having FileVault enabled can conflict with automatic login." So...

forums.macrumors.com

I don't know if Lightroom would act as a viewer in Files, but I'm not willing to pay the CDN subscription rates anyway.

Remember that on macOS, Lightroom Classic can be used freely as a viewer and photo manager. Just let the trial period expire and only the Development module of LrC will be disabled. All else will keep working.