However, where Sidecar just turns an iPad into a secondary monitor for a Mac, Universal Control allows the iPad to continue running iPadOS while syncing seamlessly with a paired Mac. Announced in June 2021, Universal Control is similar to Sidecar in that it allows a Mac and iPad to work together. It's also worth mentioning that this experience becomes even better when used alongside Universal Control. The combination of Sidecar and Continuity Sketch allows an Apple Pencil and iPad to mostly replace the need for a dedicated graphics pad and provides another reason to own multiple Apple products. Once enabled, options appear in the macOS menu bar allowing the iPad to mirror the Mac's screen or appear as an extended desktop. Setup happens entirely on the Mac, using the Sidecar section of the System Preferences app to select from any iPad that is signed in using the same Apple ID. Sidecar is known as the Continuity feature that allows Mac owners to use an iPad as a secondary display, but its ability to accept finger and Apple Pencil input is what makes this feature so remarkable. Graphics pads are still available for the Mac computer, but models that include screens often cost more than an iPad, making it difficult to justify the expense for such a specialized device. A mouse is wonderful for selecting text and precisely aligning objects and images when compositing layers, but the natural feel of a pencil can't be beaten for freeform artwork. Long before the iPad or any other modern computer tablet existed, the stylus and graphics pad were developed to make computer art more intuitive.

The Mac computer has long been associated with creative work, favored by many production studios in Hollywood for film work and artists worldwide for graphic arts and digital paintings. Quick sketches made with an Apple Pencil and iPad can also be inserted directly into Mac apps that accept images. The trick is to use one of Apple's Continuity features to wirelessly share the Mac screen with an iPad. The Apple Pencil can't be used natively with Mac computers as the displays don't have the touch support required, but there is a way to paint or draw on an iPad using Apple's stylus and duplicate the content on a Mac.

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