Your iPad is taking over more and more tasks from your iMac or MacBook . Surfing the web on the couch for your next vacation or shopping online is increasingly done on your iPad . Why stop here? With a few small additions you can create a full-fledged workstation as a replacement for your MacBook or iMac. We explain here how you can easily connect the accessories to your iPad so that you can use it to its full potential!
Keyboard
The biggest advantage of a MacBook compared to an iPad is of course that you have a separate keyboard. If you have a Bluetooth keyboard you can always connect it to your iPad. For the iPad Pros it is made even easier. These have a smart connector on the side so you only have to click the smart keyboard on and it already works.
Additional screen
Another advantage of a MacBook is of course that the screen is a lot bigger. You can connect an extra screen to your iPad using a Lightning HDMI connector. Your iPad will immediately recognize that there is an extra screen and copy it to the larger screen. If you have an Apple TV, you can also wirelessly sync the image from your iPad to the TV or monitor to which the Apple TV is connected.
Mouse
If you want to use it completely as a desktop, you can even connect a mouse to your iPad. You can do this in Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Assistive touch > Pointing devices settings. This can be a Bluetooth mouse or trackpad, for example. If you don't have an extra screen, you can also connect a wired mouse to your iPad with a Lightning USB connector .
Now we can hear you thinking; 'Oh... with all those extra features, my iPad's battery will be empty in no time?' There is a solution for that too. There are connectors that, in addition to an HDMI or USB connection, also have an extra Lightning port. This allows you to connect an adapter and your iPad will be charged while in use!
This way you can easily turn your iPad into a worthy workstation. Most Office apps are also available for your iPad and this allows you to easily edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint files on your iPad. And when you're done, disconnect everything, walk to the couch and you can immediately continue watching that one cool Netflix series! Easy, right?!
Bonus!
Since iPadOS 13 (the 2019 update) it is possible to connect USB flash drives or even external hard drives to your iPad. This can also be done via the Lightning USB connector. This is useful when your iPad storage is full or when you do not want to save the files on your iPad.
