It’s no secret that the Apple ecosystem is known for Continuity, a feature that allows multiple Apple devices to communicate with each other and makes switching between devices with almost no interruption. During today’s WWDC, the fruit company announced its new Universal Control, a feature that takes the idea of seamlessness to the next level.
Craig Federighi, VP of Software Engineering, did put on a mind-blowing demo that showed him dragging a file from an iPad, through a MacBook, and finally dropping the file in an iMac on a three-monitor setup. While something like this was already possible through software such as Synergy or Logitech’s Flow, the process itself has always been complicated and limited in its capabilities.
Universal Control, on the other hand, makes this process smooth and painless with no setup required. As Apple stated, you can just put your devices next to each other and the feature activates as your mouse seamlessly moves over each device.
However, do take note that Universal Control will only work with the following devices:
- MacBook Pro (2016 and later)
- MacBook (2016 and later)
- MacBook Air (2018 and later)
- iMac (2017 and later)
- iMac (5K Retina 27-inch, Late 2015)
- Mac mini (2018 and later)
- iMac Pro
- Mac Pro 2019
- iPad Pro
- iPad Air (3rd generation and later)
- iPad (6th generation and later)
- iPad mini (5th generation and later)
In addition, Apple also announced AirPlay for Mac, a feature that allows you to play or present content from your iPhone to other Mac devices. You can even use your Mac’s speakers as a secondary speaker to listen to your music or podcasts.
With these features, you can begin and end a project on different devices. For example, you could start an illustration on your iPad and finish it off on your MacBook. On a side note, the announcement of Universal Control gives us the impression that Apple may have put Sidecar — a feature that lets you use your iPad as a 2nd display for your Mac — into cold storage.
