Apple unveiled their new operating systems this week at their annual developers conference. And they pulled one trick out of their hat that absolutely astounded me. It’s called universal control and it allows the user to use a mouse and keyboard across multiple Apple devices. Like you can move your mouse from your monitor over to your iPad and copy something to paste back onto your Mac. I know right! That’s amazing! No one else can do stuff like that.
My Dream – The Wireless Apple Monitor
But watching the demo and seeing the cursor move back and forth between the monitor and the iPad reminded me strongly of something that I’ve been dreaming about. I want an Apple monitor that could connect wirelessly to my iPad. No Mac would be required (or desired).
Apple is so close to my vision of what I would want from a monitor that I can’t help but wonder if they’re working on it. The vision of a monitor as a wireless accessory fits in with how Apple views the world. Apple likes to remove friction to allow you to get what you want more efficiently than you ever thought possible. Apple also hates ports. A monitor that is ready to expand your iPad or MacBook desktop space without using wires is right up Apple’s elegant alley.
The iPad only has one port. Using a monitor either monopolizes that port or requires a hub of some sort. This isn’t really Apple’s vision for the iPad. Monopolizing the one port could lead to customer griping for more ports. Something Apple doesn’t want to do. And using a hub on an iPad isn’t elegant. It goes against the iPad’s mobility ethos. But a wireless monitor solves both of these issues. No need for more ports. And you can still pick up your iPad and walk around with it easily.
The question isn’t “could” apple do it. They’re almost there now. The question is whether or not offering a magical wireless monitor would increase Apple’s overall profitability. Would Apple lose MacBook sales to the iPad if people could easily connect to a 30” screen?
Apple would probably lose some Mac sales to people who decided they could now be all iPad. But I think the lost revenue would be more than offset by profits from the monitor itself. Plenty of MacBook users would be enticed by a monitor that would automatically expand their MacBook desktop when it was set on the desk. An Apple monitor with a high quality screen and no wires necessary would be highly desirable by the Mac community as well. Apple could make wireless monitors the new luxury accessory the way they did with wireless headphones.
WWDC Disappointment with iPad Monitor Support
There has been no shortage of people lamenting the fact that Apple has done very little with expanding the iPad’s monitor support. Myself included. In fact, improved monitor support was really the only thing I wanted from WWDC this year. I’m fairly happy with iPad multitasking as it is. But now and then, I kind of wish I could hook my 11” iPad up to a big screen.
If I put on my financial analyst hat on and try to imagine Apple’s various financial models, the iPad’s lack of monitor support might make sense. If Apple was indeed working on an amazing new monitor that could connect to the iPad wirelessly, offering support via Thunderbolt to any generic monitor would hurt sales.
Is it possible that Apple isn’t offering monitor support for the iPad via Thunderbolt because they are working on a model that can do it wirelessly which is coming soon? Both Sidecar and Universal Control have one thing in common, they leave the iPad as a mobile device untethered by wires. Whenever you see tablets in science fiction movies of the future, they are always untethered. This is Apple’s vision for the iPad. An Apple wireless monitor fits in with that vision.
But watching the demo and seeing the cursor move back and forth between the monitor and the iPad reminded me strongly of something that I’ve been dreaming about. I want an Apple monitor that could connect wirelessly to my iPad. No Mac would be required (or desired).
Apple is so close to my vision of what I would want from a monitor that I can’t help but wonder if they’re working on it. The vision of a monitor as a wireless accessory fits in with how Apple views the world. Apple likes to remove friction to allow you to get what you want more efficiently than you ever thought possible. Apple also hates ports. A monitor that is ready to expand your iPad or MacBook desktop space without using wires is right up Apple’s elegant alley.
The iPad only has one port. Using a monitor either monopolizes that port or requires a hub of some sort. This isn’t really Apple’s vision for the iPad. Monopolizing the one port could lead to customer griping for more ports. Something Apple doesn’t want to do. And using a hub on an iPad isn’t elegant. It goes against the iPad’s mobility ethos. But a wireless monitor solves both of these issues. No need for more ports. And you can still pick up your iPad and walk around with it easily.
The question isn’t “could” apple do it. They’re almost there now. The question is whether or not offering a magical wireless monitor would increase Apple’s overall profitability. Would Apple lose MacBook sales to the iPad if people could easily connect to a 30” screen?
Apple would probably lose some Mac sales to people who decided they could now be all iPad. But I think the lost revenue would be more than offset by profits from the monitor itself. Plenty of MacBook users would be enticed by a monitor that would automatically expand their MacBook desktop when it was set on the desk. An Apple monitor with a high quality screen and no wires necessary would be highly desirable by the Mac community as well. Apple could make wireless monitors the new luxury accessory the way they did with wireless headphones.
WWDC Disappointment with iPad Monitor Support
There has been no shortage of people lamenting the fact that Apple has done very little with expanding the iPad’s monitor support. Myself included. In fact, improved monitor support was really the only thing I wanted from WWDC this year. I’m fairly happy with iPad multitasking as it is. But now and then, I kind of wish I could hook my 11” iPad up to a big screen.
If I put on my financial analyst hat on and try to imagine Apple’s various financial models, the iPad’s lack of monitor support might make sense. If Apple was indeed working on an amazing new monitor that could connect to the iPad wirelessly, offering support via Thunderbolt to any generic monitor would hurt sales.
Is it possible that Apple isn’t offering monitor support for the iPad via Thunderbolt because they are working on a model that can do it wirelessly which is coming soon? Both Sidecar and Universal Control have one thing in common, they leave the iPad as a mobile device untethered by wires. Whenever you see tablets in science fiction movies of the future, they are always untethered. This is Apple’s vision for the iPad. An Apple wireless monitor fits in with that vision.
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