Did Apple Give up on a new Display?

[intz2nu]

I was so hype and excited when I seen the release of the newly redesigned Mac Pro and held off on pulling the trigger on buying one because of the lack of Apple not having a new display to go with it. Then I read the rumors in the Buyers Guide only to see that Apple is actually adding support for third party monitors but yet till this very date no word of Apple coming out with a new display of their own. Does anyone here feel or think Apple gave up in looking to make a newer display from what they currently have? Personally if there were some beautifully designed "Glass" displays / monitors out there with a really high resolution for the Beautiful Mac Pro maybe I'd reconsider picking one up but personally I'd still prefer a nice Apple Display for an Apple computer rather than some third party monitor on the market.

Maybe Apple making a new Display is a pipe dream?

 

[thefredelement]

Wow, I had a scarily similar thought process that ends with me getting the cinema 4k LG delivered later today.

 

[maxsix]

Watching closely, it's become crystal clear that now more than anytime in Apples History, profit taking gets the coveted spot as their highest priority.

By cutting back on R&D, all forms of innovation except to pander via elaborate media strategies, talking points and controlled rumors to satiate enthusiasts curiosity, it's Apple doing what Apple now does best. Manipulation of their image for maximum effect while delivering more of the same.

 

[Draeconis]

I was so hype and excited when I seen the release of the newly redesigned Mac Pro and held off on pulling the trigger on buying one because of the lack of Apple not having a new display to go with it. Then I read the rumors in the Buyers Guide only to see that Apple is actually adding support for third party monitors but yet till this very date no word of Apple coming out with a new display of their own. Does anyone here feel or think Apple gave up in looking to make a newer display from what they currently have? Personally if there were some beautifully designed "Glass" displays / monitors out there with a really high resolution for the Beautiful Mac Pro maybe I'd reconsider picking one up but personally I'd still prefer a nice Apple Display for an Apple computer rather than some third party monitor on the market.

Maybe Apple making a new Display is a pipe dream?

The answer to this is a little complicated. It's based around a standard not really present in any modern GPUs yet; DisplayPort 1.3.

The current 27" iMacs have 5k panels and drive it from a custom designed R9 280/380 chip.

The Mac Pro (Late 2013) has two custom 7870s and is capable of driving a 5k panel (potentially 3) but only with 2x MDP connections per screen. This is because of bandwidth limitations inherent to the current display standard DisplayPort 1.2.

Apple could easily create a 5k panel with its own timing controller, but having a monitor with two cables is distinctly un-Apple-like.

Now you might be wondering, then how can the iMac drive a 5k screen? Well, since it's an internal connection and an entirely custom part, Apple simply increased the width of the connection out of the GPU, sidestepping conventional connection bandwidth issues.

I believe when they release a new Mac Pro model next year, AMD and Nvidia should have reference designs for new GPUs that have proper DisplayPort 1.3 outputs that can drive a 5k panel with a single connection.

I believe that's what Apple is waiting for.

 

[intz2nu]

yeah basically what I've also read but I'm almost getting the feeling that even when that comes along there still won't be any new display from Apple I'm wondering if its been so long that they probably even lost interest with making one?

 

[rawweb]

yeah basically what I've also read but I'm almost getting the feeling that even when that comes along there still won't be any new display from Apple I'm wondering if its been so long that they probably even lost interest with making one?

Nah, if they can make 1-2k on top of the sale of a Mac Pro or laptop, they'll do it. It's just going to take them a while. I agree with Draeconis, I think the reason there hasn't been a new display is simply because the technology isn't there yet. I think we're a little impatient here, if you actually look at the life cycle of Apple displays (the larger ones), we're about on target. When these behemoths came out, they were on top of their game. It usually takes a while for the rest of the market to catch up. Even today, the resolution and options of the thunderbolt display are pretty advanced, though perhaps the price is a bit long in the tooth.

30" Apple Cinema Display - 2004-2010 (6 years)
27" LED Cinema Display / Thunderbolt Display - 2010-2016 (6 years)

I really count the latter as the same model since really it's the same exact form factor and panel. I absolutely love my cinema displays. Since they're mini display port, they can be used on about any computer (windows or mac). Better yet, they will survive into the USB-C era while the thunderbolt display may see a more rapid end to it's life as no one has ever figured out how to pass the mdp signal on. But maybe apple will make some kind of TB3 adapter that will pass the data and signal, or not, that would potentially hurt sales of a 5k usb-c or thunderbolt 3 era monitor.

 

[intz2nu]

My hopes that I know will never happen is a display with a chin to match along side the iMac's or even a display in the current iMac body with that razor thin edge.

 

[Draeconis]

I've always wanted the reverse; always wanted the iMac design to mirror the ACD. But I guess that chin is useful for carrying it around.

 

[paulsdenton]

I was hoping for a new Apple 4K display but finally decided to get a non Apple device while I waited. Ordered an Asus PB287Q from B&H; should ship soon at $467. We'll see how it works...

Still hoping for an Apple device!

 

[koyoot]

I think Apple was waiting for TB3 to go for 5K, and 4K displays in their offerings.

Im pretty sure we will see 21.5 inch 4K display and 27 inch 5K display, once TB3 is added to the computer lineup from Apple.

 

[superdx]

The TB requirement of the Apple Displays probably cut their sales a bunch. The old 30" used to be bought by all kinds of people who didn't use Macs because it was great for color accuracy without spending 5-6k on a "pro" monitor. Now that it's all TB PC buyers are totally left out in the dark.

Retina displays, which Apple really wants to have universally across all its products, requires beefy GPUs to drive. Combined with the fact that OpenGL support is in the dark ages, and Metal API is being blasted by developers for being immature, there seems to be no good way to get this out to the consumers.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I think TB3 will bring back ACD's (or whatever they call them)

4k, 5k and perhaps even an 8k variant.

Those LG 8k panels were rumored to be for Apple.

 

[H2SO4]

I've always wanted the reverse; always wanted the iMac design to mirror the ACD. But I guess that chin is useful for carrying it around.

I always loved the ADC. One cable for everything, now I have a speaghetti junction at the back of my Mac.

:^(

 

[intz2nu]

Does anyone know of any "glass" 4K or higher resolution displays out there on the market?