I’m going to write more about my iPad Pro in the coming weeks but one thing that was worth sharing immediately was the way I’ve been using it as a spare monitor. There is a wonderful little application called Duet, made by some former Apple engineers, that lets you connect your iPad to your Mac and turn the iPad into a second screen. I’m now doing this often.

For example, while I record the Mac Power Users podcast, I have all of the recording applications running on the iPad through Duet. That way I can keep the main screen for the content as we record the show and still glance to the smaller screen to make sure all the pipes remain connected and the red light keeps blinking. With the iPad Pro and its additional screen size, this is pretty great. When I’m done and don’t need a second screen, I can disconnect the iPad and put it away and my desk is once again clear of a second monitor.

Duet gets even better on the road. I can connect it to my 12“ MacBook virtually anywhere and have a second screen. This is super useful when working with lots of data. The 13” iPad Pro more than doubles the screen space of my 12" MacBook.

Setting up Duet is simple. You download the app from the iOS App store and then install a host application on your Mac. (There’s also a version for the Windows.) Using Duet I’m able to carry a second monitor with me that’s essentially the size of a piece of glass.

I’m not alone in loving this feature of the iPad Pro. In the past few days, I’ve spoken with several nerd friends that are also using their iPad Pro as a second monitor with Duet.