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.

Top Rated Comments

jayducharme Avatar
40 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
40 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
40 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
40 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
40 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
40 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)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
maxresdefault

Apple to Launch New iPad Pro and iPad Air Models in May

Thursday March 28, 2024 11:07 am PDT by
Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The iPad Pro models will...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

Apple Releases Revised Versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 With Updated Build Number

Wednesday March 27, 2024 5:59 am PDT by
Apple on late Tuesday released revised versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 with an updated build number of 21E237, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The updates previously had a build number of 21E236. The revised updates are available for all iPhone and iPad models that are compatible with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, but they can only be installed via the Finder app on macOS...
applephilschiller

Apple's Phil Schiller Works 80 Hours a Week Overseeing App Store

Wednesday March 27, 2024 2:03 pm PDT by
With the App Store and app ecosystem undergoing major changes in the European Union, The Wall Street Journal today shared a profile on App Store chief Phil Schiller, who is responsible for the App Store. Though Schiller transitioned from marketing chief to "Apple Fellow" in 2020 to take a step back from Apple and spend more time on personal projects and friends, he is reportedly working...