Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Though the official line from Apple is that this USB adapter is meant to work with the
USB cable from your digital camera, we've seen old USB keyboards work with it — and
even USB speakers, MIDI keyboards, and more. But don't expect every USB device to be
compatible: The power requirements of those devices (and their requisite software drivers)
aren't loaded on the iPad.
We only hope that despite this helpful accessory, Apple will get around to adding a USB and an SD
slot, but it hasn't happened yet.
Connecting an iPad to a TV or projector
The iPad mini has a decent screen for what it is, a small tablet computer. But its display is nowhere
near the size of a living room TV or even a computer monitor that you might find in a conference
room or an auditorium. To send iPad content to a bigger screen, you can choose from these connect-
ors:
Lightning-to-VGA Adapter:
Projecting what's on the iPad's screen to a larger display is the
very reason behind the iPad Lightning-to-VGA Adapter that Apple is selling for $49. You can
use it to connect your iPad to TVs, projectors, and VGA displays. What for? To watch videos,
slide shows, and presentations on the big screen.
VGA (video graphics array) delivers, by today's standards, low-resolution
video output, compared, say to the more advanced HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Inter-
face).
Lightning Digital AV Adapter:
The newest addition to the Apple adapter family is the $49
Apple Digital AV Adapter, which connects to your big screen TV via HDMI, which is pretty
much the standard for HDTVs and other modern A/V gear. It lets you mirror the display on
your iPad on a big screen TV, which is great for demos and presentations. Ed has used this ad-
apter to, among other things, play
Angry Birds
on the bigger TV screen. Bob uses it to watch
HD movies in hotel rooms. Both of us think it rocks.
Speaking of mirroring the display of your iPad onto a large-screen TV, you can do
that wirelessly as long as you're streaming to another Apple accessory, Apple TV. It's all ac-
