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If you want to prove to a friend that we’re truly living in the future, look no further than Air Display, an innovative iOS app capable of extending your Mac or Windows desktop using an iPad.
Avatron Software has introduced Air Display Free, an ad-supported version of its popular app which extends the desktop of any Mac or Windows computer onto any Wi-Fi enabled iPad, complete with Retina Display quality, when available.
Air Display is a $9.99 universal app for iOS, and the free version is exactly the same but exclusively for the iPad. So what’s the catch? Air Display Free is supported by advertising, so if you don’t mind a few product pitches mixed into your screen extension, the free version makes for a mighty enticing option.
Indeed, there are no time or other limitations with Air Display Free — simply install the Mac and/or Windows Connect software (also free), download the free iPad app and like magic, your computers can extend their displays onto your iPad while on the same Wi-Fi network.
There is one caveat for those using Windows 8: Neither version of Air Display appears to be compatible with that operating system yet. There are also some issues with third-party video drivers on certain MacBook Pro models from 2008, 2009 and 2010 when using OS X Lion or OS X Mountain Lion, but Avatron has posted some workarounds for such problems on their website.
(Updated to reflect iPad-only availability, thanks to our eagle-eyed commenters!)
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