MacRumors Giveaway: Win a Luna Display Adapter for Turning Your iPad Into a Second Screen

I was in early on kick starter and have had my Luna for a while.

It is VASTLY superior to Duet. The dongle is needed as it actually acts as a hardware attached monitor; the signal to that monitor is the re-bound by Luna and sent over a proprietary framework via wifi which is the decoded and displayed by the app on the other side. The latency is VERY low and it allows you to treat it as any other monitor in MacOS; where you can mirror, extend have the iPad function in highDPI or 1:1.

It can also work via USB for wifi free environments (I just tested this method on a plane) and has settings for crowded office environments where multiple Luna may exist.

It’s just really well thought out; and they continue to improve it. They just updated the app which supposedly lowered the latency even further (no difference to my useage case; but good for some I guess).

This is a GREAT option for people who are used to a dual screen set up for work but travel a lot; I just wish they had a way to physically teather the dongle to something like a key ring.

For the guy asking about Illistrator! Yes! Also natively works with Apple Pencil. The company also first developed called AstroPad which is even further improved with Luna!

You really should check it out! Great hardware based acceleration and well though put integration makes it a winner in my books!

so if its over WIFI, what does the dongle actually do? is it just a key?

The dongle is acting like a monitor cable and transmitting the data to the iPad. Your laptop is not transferring the data - the dongle is.

You're not mirroring the laptop's screen - this is an additional second screen like plugging in a monitor.

I spoke with Astropad and they confirmed an important point: if you drag a window on to the iPad, it will then be able to be manipulated with an Apple Pencil so you could work on Mac apps like Photoshop on an iPad using the Pencil.

I’ve been using Luna on my 12.9” iPad to control a headless Mac mini I keep in the basement. It’s fantastic, and can even run the UI @2x (retina).

When you open it, it essentially feels like a 13” touch Mac.

The dongle is acting like a monitor cable and transmitting the data to the iPad. Your laptop is not transferring the data - the dongle is.

You're not mirroring the laptop's screen - this is an additional second screen like plugging in a monitor.

As I understand it, that's not exactly true. If the dongle was transmitting, you'd either need another dongle for the iPad, or your iPad would need to join the dongle's wifi network. What I believe is happening is the dongle is in fact tricking the mac into thinking there is an external display, which forces the OS to output another display signal. The Luna app then grabs that pre-processed signal and sends it over WiFi to the iPad. Other apps, instead spoof that display via software (I'm assuming via a MacOS API).

I'm not quite sure why the dongle is needed if there is in fact an API mechanism, unless there are performance or user experience benefits.

You can also plug in a lightning cable for data connection instead of WiFi (to improve picture quality). So not entirely sure what the dongle is for, probably to improve input lag.

As I understand it, the dongle makes the Mac think an external monitor is installed and thus allows Luna to use the GPU for an external display; it also appears to act as a DEM tool so that they can let the associated programs be downloaded at no cost.

I’ve got one and barely use it. Disappointed that it doesn’t support pressure with Apple Pencil unless you subscribe to unlock that feature.

Luna display does not do any pressure sensitivity nor is it subscription based, so I think you are talking about Astropad standard, which does do pressure sensitivity, and it is a one time purchase.

Here is a comparison:

https://blog.astropad.com/standard-vs-studio/
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Zero point in a wireless display if it still takes up a port on the computer imo..

I guess it depends on your use case, I find it very useful when traveling to turn my iPad Pro into a second display; which I connect via USB for best performance.
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https://techcrunch.com/2018/12/05/duet-display-2-uses-hardware-acceleration-to-catch-up-with-luna-display/

An interesting take on Duet vs Luna.

I’m fine with my Duet arrangement- Luna would have to bring world peace or something if it wants my $80!

Interesting article, thanks a lot.

I do take issue with their claims Duet obsoletes Luna Display and costs 10x less; since version 2 now requires a subscription for a feature I had in V1 (wireless) and that Luna includes in it's price. That makes Duet only 1/3 the price in year one and requires an ongoing subscription. My guess is at $7 per ($10 less Apples 30% cut) they can't make enough to support ongoing development, so they pull a few key features in the new version in an attempt to convert users to the subscription model. I get it, but since I already got a Luna (on KS) I see no reason to lock myself into a subscription to get features I already achieve with Luna and had with Duet before they "upgraded" their software. Plus, who knows if Apple's next OS release won't break Duet again.