For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Astropad to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a Luna Display adapter that can turn an extra Mac or an iPad into a secondary display to be used with a main Mac.

lunadisplaymactomac2
The inch-long Luna Display adapter plugs into a Mac using a USB-C port (on newer Macs) or a Mini DisplayPort (on older Macs) and then when paired with the Luna Display software, your primary Mac can be connected to an ‌iPad‌ or another Mac over Wifi, providing new ways to utilize old hardware or to add extra displays without having to invest in new products.

lunadisplay2
When connected, the Luna Display is able to extend the primary Mac's display to the secondary Mac or the ‌iPad‌ to allow the extra device to be used as a second screen, a feature that can be extra useful these days as people continue to figure out their work from home setups with makeshift offices.

luna display mac to mac mode
Available for $70, the Luna Display sets itself apart from Apple's Sidecar functionality with the Mac-to-Mac support, which ‌Sidecar‌ can't do. The Mac-to-Mac feature was introduced after ‌Sidecar‌ and it makes the Luna Display adapter more powerful than Apple's solution. Luna Display is also able to work with older iPads that aren't supported by ‌Sidecar‌.

luna display macbook
When used in Mac-to-Mac mode, the primary Mac needs to be running macOS El Capitan or later, while the secondary Mac can be running macOS Mountain Lion or later, so you can use the Luna Display with some machines that are quite a bit older. For the best performance, the main Mac should be a 2012 MacBook Air or later, a 2012 MacBook Pro or later, a 2012 Mac mini or later, a 2012 iMac or later, or a 2013 Mac Pro or later.

luna product raw 087 copy 1800x1800
Luna Display offers full keyboard, trackpad, and mouse support on both Macs when used in Mac-to-Mac mode, and more information on using Luna Display with dual Macs can be found on the Luna Display website.

As for iPads, the Luna Display is compatible with almost all modern iPads, including the the ‌iPad‌ 2 or later, all iPad mini models, all iPad Pro models, and all iPad Air models, with iOS 9.1 or later as the only requirement. Performance is faster on newer iPads, but older models work well too.

lunadisplay3
Right now, Astropad's Luna Display is compatible only with Macs, but later this year, the company is planning to debut Windows support for the first time in an effort to reach more customers and further diversify its product lineup after the launch of Apple's ‌Sidecar‌. Check out Astropad's recent blog post for more info on the Windows-based products that are coming.

We have five Luna Display adapters to give away to MacRumors readers. To enter to win our giveaway, use the Gleam.io widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

The contest will run from today (July 10) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on July 17. The winners will be chosen randomly on July 17 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.

Top Rated Comments

T.j.p. Avatar
62 months ago
I‘m a fan of Duet. Just a cable to the iPad or iPhone and it’s a second display. Requires an app on the iOS device, and the duet software on the Mac. And the subscription version gives a small bump in features like using the iPad as a graphics tablet. But in normal use the one time purchase does just fine. And it supports device combinations that sidecar doesn‘t. Duet was the seminal set of software for the purpose. And it’s an inexpensive solution crafted by former Apple engineers.

love to see a shootout between all three. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LondonChris Avatar
62 months ago

I own one of these. I never opened it. But it was on sale one day, and I thought would be nice to use my iMac Retina 5K Late 2015 one day as a secondary monitor for my MacBook Pro.
This is exactly what I've been using it for. My work-issued 2016 MacBook Pro needs to be my primary hard drive, but the Luna Display allows me to use my own 2014 iMac 27" Retina as a second monitor. Generally, couldn't be happier. It seems to restart the Luna app every few hours, but this only takes a few seconds.

Does exactly what I need it for during working hours. Quit the Luna app, and then the iMac becomes my home machine again. Definitely recommended for this use case.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jlc1978 Avatar
62 months ago
I've bought and used all three: Duet, Luna and Sidecar. My use is as a second screen to display an document while working on athoer so I can easily cut and paste or refer to it while working on my Mac.

Started with Duet. Runs on 10.9+ It was a great app and ahead of its time. Having my Ipad Pro as a second screen was very useful when traveling. Its biggest pro was it was the first, when they went to subscription the base app offered no real value over Sidecar; other than it works with more devices. Can't see spending money for the base version since Sidecar already does what the base version does; unless you use a device other than an iPad. $20/year for wireless or $30/year for touch support is simply not worth it to me as I found I never use that feature enough to make it worthwhile.

Luna Display. Runs on 10.11+ Bought on Kickstarter. I found it faster and more responsive than Luna. Pros are most pay features from Duet are included in the purchase. Mac to Mac and Headless mode. Wireless. Has touch support, I used it to add the Touchbar to my iPad before I bought a Touchbar Mac; but never really found the touch support that useful. Main use was to scroll with an Apple Pencil. Headless mode makes a Mini more flexible as you do not need to connect a monitor to it if you are using it as a server. Cons: Price is high upfront. Dongle covers a lot of plug space so two large plugs won't fit side to side. Plays videos well.

Sidecar: Catalina. Very basic functionality but it works if your main use is a second monitor to display documents, etc that are mostly static. Cons: No touch support if that is what you want. Mac/iPad only.

Cons on all: Only run on relatively new Macs. I've never found wireless to be that useful due to lags.

My recommendation: If you want touch support or us a pre-Catalina Mac go with the LunaDisplay. Although it is more upfront its payback is about 2.5 years and I've found it a better experience than Duet.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jlc1978 Avatar
62 months ago

I was going to replace my 2012 iMac this year but with the Apple silicon announcement, I'll wait till the ARM version comes out. Instead of reselling my current iMac I had plans to just turn it into a second monitor I read somewhere that this is doable with a cable that is a built-in feature with MacOS. What in the world is the difference between the Mac option and this option? Luna just seems like getting an extra screen with extra steps. What am I missing?
Target Display Mode is limited to certain iMacs, and retina models won't use it, IIRC. Luna Display works with a lot me Macs.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macduke Avatar
62 months ago
They've been sherlocked.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
icanhazmac Avatar
62 months ago
This seems like a cool way to keep using an old iMac or iPad that is past its prime.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Expected Next Week - Here Are the Release Notes

Friday March 28, 2025 2:01 pm PDT by
With the second release candidate of iOS 18.4 that Apple seeded out today, the company finally provided us with release notes that give a full rundown on what to expect. There's an Apple Vision Pro app, new Apple Intelligence features for notifications and additional language support, plus an Apple News Food feature for Apple News+ subscribers, and several updates that should improve the...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Six Things to Know About Apple's Upcoming Foldable iPhone

Friday March 28, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable iPhone, but so far we're hearing good things. Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable iPhone that it's satisfied with because Apple ...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...