Until a few years ago, I was using my iPad (2018) for work on a daily basis for taking notes and such. But as my work style changed over time, so did the use of electronics with it, and I started using the iPad less and less. From a pure work tool, it gradually became a work-fun tool and later a pure fun tool. I can't say that I regretted this use, because I really enjoyed playing with it, but on the other hand, I was a little annoyed internally that I wasn't exploiting it as much as I could. Therefore, I started thinking about a use that would make more sense to me and, above all, would benefit not only me. And I came up with this use rather quickly.
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ProI've been renovating my apartment in recent months and have equipped it with a few smart toys with support HomeKitat or AirPlay 2, I liked the vision of having some kind of central display that would show me the current status of everything HomeKit accessories and on top of that it will allow you to control Spotify on Apple TVAnd what better way to display these things than on an iPad with its native Home app, interesting multitasking options, and plenty of widgetů? Sure, given the age of the device, it may seem a bit of a shame, but for me, this is probably the best use of the tablet I have at the moment. In addition, I thought it would be nice to provide smart control options even to visitors or people in general who are not members of my household and therefore do not have access to the controls on my phone, and at the same time they are fascinated by such control, so they do not want to use the "classic" switches.
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Creating a central display from an iPad was, in essence, an extremely simple matter. All I had to do was upgrade to iPadOS 15 (the most current version of the system with slightly improved multitasking), then set up the tablet as new and deactivate everything on it that could be annoying in some way – in my case, primarily FaceTime and iMessage. Then I just had to set it up meaningfully widgety on the tablet's desktop so that they were as useful as possible for my purposes, which fortunately wasn't difficult for me, since my girlfriend and I primarily use native applications. So it wasn't a problem to set up, for example widget for a shared calendar or shopping reminders. The other two widgetThe weather and photos took over, because I simply like to see some memories. Then it was just enough to "feed" them. dock applications (which ensured zero load on the desktops with applications) and run Home and Spotify side by side in the background in a ratio that suits us, set theoneA brightly lit display and a few more details and it was done.
If you're asking how I handle the power and stability of the tablet, I also went for the most basic thing possible. I have the iPad "plugged" into a 5W USB-A/Lightning adapter so that it was constantly "fed", but at the same time not unnecessarily burdened by higher W. I then printed the stand on a 3D printer and it also works without any problems.
The tablet, which I had on my desk until recently without much use, has suddenly become an indispensable addition to our kitchen, helping us to keep track of everything interesting. Yes, the iPad can be used in a thousand other ways, and the vast majority of them are certainly more useful. However, it is great that there is no problem with a completely banal style of use, for example in the form of a central display. However, it is worth adding that a few years ago, at least in my eyes, something like this would not have made much sense, because there were no widgetand the usability of the tablet for the home screen suddenly shrank to just Home with Spotify, which in my eyes would simply not be enough. However, this way I have at hand everything that I could wish for in terms of software at home, and I must say that it is really very nice.
I will also think about such a use of an unused iPad, I really like the solution with a magnetic attachment of the iPad to the wall - but the price for dock :D
https://youtu.be/M21R3qc3V6U
I originally wanted it on the wall too, but...oneI blew it through the power supply. I didn't think about it when the electrical work was being done and it made me a little angry. 🙈 But the solution is great
Pro I use various similar solutions, even the ancient first one Retina iPad. It's incredible how long they can serve a useful purpose.
Unfortunately mine nestiPad 2 with sheet iOS I won't use 9 for this anymore :))
Too bad it would give him a new life…
I've had it on my wall for several years now. iPad Air 2 ... https://www.amazon.com/Magnetic-Adsorption-Principle-Convenience-Support/dp/B07DBL9GQP
And how do you solve the display lighting when you want to turn something on/off?
I also planned to do that after the apartment renovation. Despite HomeKit I have almost everything, unfortunately I only have this in my drawer iPad mini 2 and there it is maximal soft 9 and there is no household yet. Well, I don't really want to buy something newer just to control the household.
So update yourself. On iPad mini 2 is the last one iOS 12.5.4