New Mac Pro = New Displays?

[barmann]

A large factor in that is not the technology, it is the glass.

"fastest TB device closest to host" won't make as much of a difference for two factors.

a. stationary ones don't really matter if drop TB display after as that subset of daisy chain is pragmatically stable and fixed.

b. TB v2.0 smooths out the bandwidth so all the TB devices on a single network can get a more even x4 PCI-e worth of bandwidth. So "closest" won't matter as much.


Minor changes ( option that looses the Mag Safe connector and add a port or two of USB 3.0 and/or FW all coupled to the new iMac fused display ) and it would be easy to ship minor variant that was much more effective. The basic LCD panel is OK.

Thanks, excellent info as usual !

It remains to be seen if Apple returns to a more universal approach with its display design; as you said, it requires fairly minor changes .

 

[barmann]

What's wrong with TB daisy chaining?

As said above, right now it is advisable to put the most performance critical devices closest to the source , in a TB daisy chain .

That's fine for many purposes, but for many it is not .
Unplugging a monitor is always the messiest and most disruptive part of rearranging a setup .

One example, working on location with Macs of any kind, or using semi-mobile workstations, requires a lot of on-the-fly adjustability , attaching harddrives, recording gear and what not .

In the field, a display is either not part of any chain, or located at the very beginning; else it gets in the way of your workflow, and can possibly lead to serious connection issues.

The first time a saw a TB chain illustration, with a harddrive slotted between a Mac and a Monitor, I immediately found it weird how someone would ever arrange gear that way .
Next thing I researched if there might be any reason for showing such an impractical setup, hoping it was just due to an inexperienced advertising guy .

Not so, obviously, and I havn't trusted in TB since ...

 

[goMac]

Well, there are a few ways to look at that... Thunderbolt is dual channel so you've at least got a channel to go before things get messy.

The new Mac Pro also has six Thunderbolt ports, so clearly you have a lot of room to plug something in directly.

 

[barmann]

The new Mac Pro also has six Thunderbolt ports, so clearly you have a lot of room to plug something in directly.

True, but Macbooks and iMacs are a bit limited in that respect .

To be fair, FW and USB can also have their quirks in demanding settings, even with current MPs; it just looks so silly (to me) that new interface technology starts out like this .

There always have been, and always will be , some equipment specific issues; but I really don't need some sort of mandatory hub between my displays and computer, even if it might be needed only occassionaly, to add another headache .