Modding made this M4 iPad Pro into a portable tvOS device

What can you do when you want the world’s most advanced display, the M4 iPad Pro, to serve as a portable TV for your go-to streaming device, the Apple TV 4K?

You could start by learning from someone who has done just that, modding his devices to create the ‘Apple TV Go’—complete with a custom Magic Keyboard that matches the Siri Remote.

Creating the ultimate portable tvOS device

Sigmund Judge, host of the Apple TV-focused podcast Magic Rays of Light, has outlined his creation of the Apple TV Go in a fascinating new piece today at MacStories.

He begins by outlining his packing dilemma from last year’s WWDC, where tvOS beta testing would require bringing an extensive set of gear—including an external display.

But inspired by the M4 iPad Pro’s top-class OLED technology, and other adventures in modding, Judge got an idea for a new approach:

The introduction of iPadOS 17 and its support for UVC (USB Video Class) devices had my imagination running wild at the possibilities for this year. I needed to become the hero of my own story and create the on-the-go tvOS workstation I envisioned by braving the world of hardware modification and building my very own Apple TV Go.

The finished product is a sight to behold, consisting of an Apple TV 4K attached to the iPad Pro’s case alongside other required peripherals.

Custom Magic Keyboard matches Siri Remote

What’s especially fun about Judge’s approach is that he re-themed his iPad Pro’s Magic Keyboard to complement the Apple TV brand. By replacing his white keyboard’s keys with black ones, Judge’s keyboard now resembles the Apple TV 4K’s Siri Remote with its silver and black color scheme.

I began the process by drinking three cups of coffee and taking meticulous notes on Nikolai Christ’s excellent YouTube videos detailing the process of removing the clips from each key type, as well as the metal mechanisms present in the oversized keys and space bar. Over the course of the next five hours, I successfully replaced each key on my Magic Keyboard, with all keys retaining the functionality and travel expected out of the box – bar three of the smaller keys that were damaged, as well as two scissor switches which are especially delicate on the Magic Keyboard’s 11” variant.

Wrap-up

Judge’s experiment is well worth a full read to see exactly how the modding process worked, and the various use cases he’s enjoyed using the Apple TV Go. He concludes:

While the idea of a portable tvOS workstation is incredibly niche, it further exhibits what a joy the iPad is as a modular computing platform. Yes, Apple TV Go is yet another strange experiment, but it’s one that solves a problem and pushes the iPad’s modularity to its conceivable limits.