Universal control is FINALLY here, people. It was first announced during WWDC 2021 when
Craig Federighi awed us all when he hopped between an iMac, a MacBook, and an iPad
while using the peripherals on one of the machines - basically,,, one computer to rule
them all. But 7 months later, I began to think that this could be the next AirPower project
that would never see the light of day. Before we get into all the details that
I am sure you are interested in, let’s first explain what Universal control is.
In the simplest way, Universal Control allows us to control multiple Apple Devices,
all with a single keyboard and mouse - that includes an iMac, a MacBook, and an iPad.
Imagine having a Macbook, and besides it, your iPad, and you use just the trackpad and keyboard
of the MacBook to control both devices. Don’t be confused with sharing your screen
with the iPad, which is Sidecar, where you basically use the iPad as a second monitor.
Universal control allows you to use both your MacBook as a MacBook and the iPad
as an iPad but share the same peripherals on both whiles also being able to interact
between the two devices. More on that in a sec. The simplest implementation and showcase of
this feature would be to move over the cursor from a Mac over to the iPad. The initial hint
for the success of this operation is when you see a little horizontal line that extends over
to the other screen as if you are trying to cross to another universe - a really cool way
to hint at this interaction. Once the connection is established,
you are now free to move between devices as you see fit and use them as separate entities
that can interact with each other. As with everything Apple, no initial setup is required,
and everything works seamlessly and effortlessly. Universal control works with up to 3 devices,
so if you have an iMac and Macbook, and iPad, for example, you can use
just one of the machines as your primary control device and, as I said - rule them all.
And yes, gestures work on all devices accordingly. For example, using four-finger swipes on the
iPad goes back to the home screen and also swipes between the apps...this is AWESOME.
The few settings that people might be interested in all live under System Preferences on the Mac
and under Displays. This is where the iPad screen shows up, too, once the connection
is established. What’s cool here is that you can set up a continuous connection between devices
which will allow you to always have the devices talking to each other
and continue using them with Universal control as time goes by.
This feature is very important for the iPad, and it further proves that the iPad will never run
MacOS or emulate what the Mac does. Instead, it will further serve not only as a different
standalone creative device but also as the best companion to the Mac.
With the ability to copy and paste between devices and drag and drop files, you can use a Mac and an
iPad and really push the productivity boundaries. For example, you can drag and drop files between
the Mac Finder and the Files app on the iPad. Or you can grab an image from the Mac and drag it
over to a Pages document that you are separately compiling on the iPad. The possibilities are huge,
and I plan to go into more ideas and implementations in a separate video - so
subscribe and stay tuned for that. Here are a few FAQs you might have:
As you’ll see, the Mac knows where the iPad is and can establish the connection based
on its presence. If the MacBook is on the left and the iPad is on the right, you move
right to cross over to the iPad. But what happens if you move the iPad to the left of the Mac?
Well, the connection remains on the right, but you can switch the location of the iPad screen
from Display Settings. Of course, when the connection is re-established later,
the position of the screen updates accordingly. Does it lag? No, it does not. It works so
smooth and buttery that it makes you forget that you are using two separate devices.
Can you use it if you are not connected to the same network? Yes, you can. I turned off the
Wifi on my iPad (which doesn’t have a sim card in it), and I am still able to use Universal Control.
Does it know where the other device is positioned? When the initial connection is established,
the devices recognize their own positions. Hey, sorry for interrupting, guys,
but I just realized that I had a question myself that I forgot to address in the video,
and that is what happens the Mac to an external monitor and how does Universal control work?
Well, it is actually very simple. Positioning is based on the relationship between the iPad
and the Macbook but rest assured that it can easily be fixed and changed over at
display settings. Now, back to the video. What are the requirements for Universal Control?
So far, the only requirement that I know of is to have all apple devices
registered with the same Apple ID. Is Universal control officially
available? By the time you are watching this video, Universal Control works on
MacOS 12.3 and iPad OS 15.4, which during the recording of this video are in Public Betas but
rest assured will come to all users shortly. If you enjoyed this video, subscribe to
the channel because...WHY NOT? It’s been an absolute pleasure,
This is E Over and out