Astropad's 'Project Blue' Beta Turns an iPad Into a Drawing Tablet for a PC

Astropad today announced the launch of "Project Blue," a new public beta initiative that introduces cross-platform support for connecting an iPad to a PC. With the beta, ‌iPad‌ artists can use an ‌iPad‌ as a wireless drawing tablet for a PC by mirroring their Windows desktop to their iPads.


Prior to today, the Astropad software could turn an ‌iPad‌ into a drawing device able to be used with a Mac, but the functionality is now available for ‌iPad‌ owners who want to use a PC instead of a Mac.

Project Blue is optimized for drawing with the Apple Pencil, and the ‌iPad‌'s touch gestures can be customized to access tools and shortcuts in Windows apps. An ‌iPad‌ can be paired with a Windows PC over WiFi or using a USB connection.

astropad project blue 1
Project Blue requires a PC laptop or desktop running Windows 10 64-bit build 1809 or later and an ‌iPad‌ running iOS 9.1 or later.

For the time being, Project Blue is available for free, and later this year, it will be folded into the full suite of Astropad products. Those who want to test out Project Blue can sign up on Astropad's website.

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

Apple Shares Full List of Over 250 New Features and Changes Coming With iOS 18

Wednesday September 11, 2024 7:16 am PDT by
Following its iPhone 16 event on Monday, Apple shared a PDF on its website with a list of all new features and changes coming with iOS 18. The list includes many features that were already announced, including Apple Intelligence, new customization options for the Home Screen and Control Center, a redesigned Photos app, several enhancements to the Messages app, a Passwords app, and more....
iphone 16 pro models 1

Skipping the iPhone 16 Pro? Here's What's Rumored for iPhone 17 Pro

Wednesday September 11, 2024 8:20 am PDT by
Will you be skipping the iPhone 16 Pro and waiting another year to upgrade? If so, we already have some iPhone 17 Pro rumors for you. Below, we recap key new features rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models so far: 24MP front camera for all iPhone 17 models: All four iPhone 17 models will feature an upgraded 24-megapixel front-facing camera, according to Apple supply chain analysts Ming-Chi...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue Face ID Single Camera Hole

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 17

Friday September 13, 2024 2:40 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different – already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
iphone 16 pro colors 1

Here's When iPhone 16 Pre-Orders Begin in Every Time Zone

Thursday September 12, 2024 6:12 am PDT by
Pre-orders for the iPhone 16, ‌iPhone 16‌ Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max are set to begin on Friday, September 13 at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time, with the new devices set to become available in multiple countries around the world simultaneously. We've compiled pre-order times for various countries to help MacRumors readers be among the first to order. This list isn't...
iphone 16 lineup colors

Apple Discontinues iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 13

Monday September 9, 2024 2:09 pm PDT by
With the launch of the new iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max, Apple has discontinued some of its older iPhones. As of today, Apple is no longer selling the iPhone 13, and the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max have been replaced with the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The iPhone SE remains as Apple's most affordable device, with the iPhone 14 and iPhone...
airpods pro 2 pink

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 2 Firmware With Support for iOS 18 Features

Tuesday September 10, 2024 11:40 am PDT by
Apple today released a new firmware update for the AirPods Pro 2, including both the Lightning and USB-C versions. The firmware has a build number of 7A294, up from 6F8, and it is available for all AirPods Pro 2 users. Apple has been beta testing this update, but it is launching ahead of when iOS 18 becomes available next Monday. There are multiple features that Apple is adding to the...

Top Rated Comments

jayducharme Avatar
46 months ago
But wasn't Justin Long just telling me that the great thing about PCs is that they're already both a tablet and a desktop?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Freeangel1 Avatar
46 months ago
wow. The Clan of Mac strikes again.
The M1 chip is ok for great battery life and laptops.

But for Pro users who need the Raw power of the AMD Threadripper Chip PC is the way to GO.
Big Sur is a mess on some older Macs
Windows 10 runs on anything you throw at it. The most compatible OS there is.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iBungie Avatar
46 months ago
Poor Astropad - no one wants to comment on you - only use your thread to post comments on other threads

This looks a useful tool for graphic artists on either platform
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tonny3k Avatar
46 months ago

But for Pro users who need the Raw power of the AMD Threadripper Chip PC is the way to GO.
Intel should include that in their ads.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
robertcoogan Avatar
46 months ago
I like this! This solves a big problem for me. I am looking at buying a Windows laptop as my next laptop (yep). Partly this is due to the lack of self-repair options, but also due to the fact that I am heavily dependent on Windows for certain software. I also like the self-repair options that come with Windows PCs. Being able to use my iPad as a drawing tablet would be really helpful.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nc_sketchy Avatar
46 months ago
I love Luna Display/Astropad. Its so much more stable than sidecar. Im glad it finally made its way to windows.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)