Universal control allows you to use Mac and iPad like a machine

In addition to launching new versions of iOS, watchOS and macOS, Apple also shared an interesting new feature called Universal Control that was launched today at WWDC 2021. In the latest macOS called Monterey, you can place your iPad next to your MacBook and just drag the cursor from your laptop to your tablet.

It's not yet clear what versions of either device will support this feature, nor what technology is being used to connect the two. But it looks like the MacBook will detect the tablet fairly seamlessly and you can then use its keyboard and cursor to work on the iPad. This will let you do things like drag and drop files between the two machines or use your laptop's keyboard to type out Spotlight searches on the tablet. This way, you won't need to buy a separate keyboard case to get a physical mouse and keyboard for the iPad.

We are still waiting for details on compatibility, but its recent shift to ARM-based systems does seem to help these devices work well together. As we learn more about which machines you can actually run macOS Monterey and Universal Control on, we will update this article, so stay tuned for these details.