Released in 2012, the third-generation iPad, also called The New iPad or iPad Retina, has long lost support and is not capable of running modern applications and games. And yet Chinese craftsmen managed to find a useful use for it.
Judging by the photo that appeared on the network, the old iPad was reclassified into a portable monitor. To be more precise, enthusiasts used its display, since the body in the picture is clearly 3D printed or made in some other way.
As you can see, the iPad serves as a monitor for a computer running Windows 11. You’ll also notice a few cables connected to it, as the native Lightning connector can only be used for charging, in which case it appears to be using some kind of adapter like Embedded DisplayPort (eDP).
Apple introduced the iPad over 12 years ago on 3rd April 2010. Since then, it has been through multiple generations and over 30 models. Throughout time, there has been some hardcore Apple fans (and still are) and then there are many who just want to check out what all the fuss is about.
I must admit I waited for a couple of years before delving into my first Apple product (why not check out our blog for more Apple content). So, I bought an iPad 3 at the beginning of autumn here in New Zealand. I was excited, my wife was excited, and our kid was over the moon!
It was a new toy everyone in the family wanted to play with, and as it turned out, my wife and kid took over. I had access purely when they had a technical question or had a ‘how does this work?’ moment. Since its introduction to the family, you can imagine how much of it I personally used.
It was used for anything and everything from looking up the recipes, listening to music, watching YouTube videos and how can I forget, the wife spending hours on planning and booking the ski trips in New Zealand or holidays to various locations outside New Zealand. The instant viewing pleasure of our photos on a bigger screen meant it acted as a large camera.
iOS 6 got introduced in September 2012 and I got hounded regularly by our little one to have it updated and reignite the novelty and excitement. My basic IT instinct kept pushing out the update to the device knowing fully well it is going to slow down the device and take a hit to the performance. Once the apps and iOS notification forced the update, I caved in and took the plunge. Alas it was a plunge into the abyss of the Apple sink hole from which it was never possible to climb out.
It’s unlikely that many people will start redesigning their old tablets in this way, but it may not be a bad idea to extend the life of the device and reduce e-waste.
It seemed like I tried everything and nothing worked, so I gave up and let my thousand-dollar seemingly unwanted device waste its life on a bookshelf along with our other discarded books and piles of paperwork (which I am not sure how they got there in the first place). Such is life, I guess.
Fast forward 12 years later and having developed interest in DIY work, I ended up watching YouTube videos trying to learn a thing or two. Whilst clearing out *THE* bookshelf (yes, the black hole no one dared enter), I happened to come across my first and last Apple product still wasting its life away; my old iPad. I thought to myself, hey, can I at least get it to play YouTube video and Netflix if nothing else will work? It was like taking up the challenge all over again.
