Target Display Mode on future iMac?

[canny]

Is there any chance that Target Display Mode will come to a future retina iMac?

Last year, the highest spec 15" MacBook Pro gained the ability to support external 5K monitors: https://www.macrumors.com/2015/05/28/15-mbp-supports-dell-5k-up2715k-display/

I'm waiting to see TDM comes. If not, I'll probably get the highest spec 27" non-retina (late 2013...)

 

[maflynn]

Is there any chance that Target Display Mode will come to a future retina iMac?

There's a chance, but we don't know if its a remote chance or a very good chance.

 

[redheeler]

Not many people get an iMac just to use it as a screen for another Mac, and this feature is not a high priority for Apple. Yes there is a chance the feature will be reimplemented when Thunderbolt 3 comes to the iMac, but not a great one.

No way would I sacrifice a 5K display and get a late 2013 just because of Target Display Mode...

 

[canny]

Not many people get an iMac just to use it as a screen for another Mac

You're right, but I'm thinking ahead. In five years, TDM would be useful with my next computer.

 

[varian55zx]

TDM would be useful with my next computer.

For this reason I doubt it, Apple hates saving money for the consumer.

TDM is a beneficial money saving feature that promotes longevity, all the things that Apple hates.

They want you to discard the machine in the e-trash heap and buy a new one in two years. The last thing they want you to do is benefit by being able to use your iMac (which includes a display) as a display, possibly with another computer (a PC?).

With Apple's move to wanting to screw the customer more than ever before, I strongly doubt we'll see TDM back ever.

 

[canny]

Well, it's a balance between features which appeal to a buyer and designed obsolescence. In the case of TDM, it would make it more likely that I would buy a new computer, since I know the old one would still be useful.

I don't know if Tim Cook's Apple think like that anymore.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

It will depend on wether they get Kabylake or not I would imagine.

 

[maflynn]

It will depend on wether they get Kabylake or not I would imagine.

I wonder if Apple will wait for Kabylake, given that the 27" iMacs are already on Skylake. It makes sense for them to do so, provided the chipsets and/or GPUs are available for Apple in September/October time frame.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

I wonder if Apple will wait for Kabylake, given that the 27" iMacs are already on Skylake. It makes sense for them to do so, provided the chipsets and/or GPUs are available for Apple in September/October time frame.

I think that's their hope for good tb3 integration etc, but who knows what crap Intel will pull this year.....

 

[CWallace]

For this reason I doubt it, Apple hates saving money for the consumer.

TDM is a beneficial money saving feature that promotes longevity, all the things that Apple hates.

The issue lies with decisions made by Intel, not Apple.

Thunderbolt 2 only supports DisplayPort 1.2, which cannot drive a 5K monitor on a single port. So you would have to use both of the iMac 5K's TB ports for 5K TDM. This is why Apple was forced to create their own custom chip on the iMac 5K to drive the display from the GPU.

DisplayPort 1.3 can handle 5K, but Intel decided not to implement it with Thunderbolt 3, instead doubling the number of DP 1.2 channels. This means it can support a 5K multi-tile display with one TB3 port via Multi-Stream Transport where one channel drives half the display and the other channel drives the other half. But TB3 will not be able to drive single-tile 5K displays (where the entire screen is handled via one channel) and MST does suffer from performance issues compared to single-tile.