[OS X TeX] iPad presentation

[Nicolae Garleanu]

Hi everybody,

This is quite off topic, but I have noticed over the years that the contributors to this list have highly eclectic interests and knowledge.

I have been looking for years to be able to give lectures using an iPad. The set-up is trivial in Windows, using PDF Annotator. Buying a computer for that sole purpose, though, is something I would really want to avoid. Alas, I have not found the desired setup. Here are the main features I would like:

1. Project (landscape) PDF file in full-screen mode. (How to connect to the projector is a different topic, there are solutions.)
2. Make page transition immediate — so that, if another piece shows up on the page, it does not involve the simulation of a turning page or some other effect.
3. PDF (slides) can be annotated (using pen) with hand-written input.
4. An extra slide (blank, white, landscape) can be inserted for additional notes. 
5. Page can be advanced remotely — e.g., with clicker.

Given the material that I teach, I found latex to be the natural way to go, which means that I cannot use Keynote, say, which may well have all the features above (other than PDF). Other things I looked at are GoodNotes (transitions leave to be desired, can only add yellow (?!) pages in landscape; I have to try projecting to see how the full-page feature works then, in what they call the “TV-Out” mode) and Explain Everything (transitions are really unsuitable, didn’t look any further). Feature 5 is a problem with all PDF apps I came across, may have to be sacrificed.

I imagine that the world has moved on from this kind of presentation style, which is why the more “modern” tools (in particular, iOS based) do not offer the capability; the demand is too low. The Windows space, the traditional habitat of business, appears to be dominated by PDF Annotator, which keeps developing; this suggests that there is a market there, but perhaps not attractive enough to foster real competition. That said, it may be worth trying to see whether anyone on this list has come across anything that holds promise. Thanks!

Nicolae