Why No Apple-made Next-Gen/5K Display?

[dukee101]

I just had this realization: Apple has made a 5K display for a while now -- it just happens to be glued to a computer (the iMac). Now that there's finally USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 available to pipe 5K video to an external display, why haven't they simply taken their iMac 5K Retina and made a standalone display version of it? This seems like such a no-brainer. Why on Earth did they contract with LG for their next-gen display?? Anyone have thoughts on why this is their current strategy? It drives me nuts. I'd fork over major $$ for a next-gen Apple display (yes, even if it's the same LG panel encased in a sexy aluminum chassis).

 

[CWallace]

Apple uses the same LG 5K display in the iMac and was said to have helped LG to engineer the Ultrafine 5K display.

As to why they do not make their own, the most likely answer is that sales of Apple-branded displays are too small to justify making their own. And as much as people complain about how bad the LG display looks, they would probably complain even more about the $300-500 extra they would have to pay for an Apple-branded display.

I expect it took Apple five years to burn through their stock of Thunderbolt displays due to the high price tag and they don't want to have to sit on another five years of stock with their own 5K Thunderbolt 3 display when they can shift that risk to LG.

 

[jksu]

agree getting out of displays is a mistake on apple's part. very much a bean counter mentality to managing the brand. same with getting out of router business.

by allowing or forcing people to go outside the ecosystem, people will learn "hey i guess there's other hardware makers out there" that may
not be as pretty or slick but work ok. you have diehard fans that are happy to pay the up charge - just make and sell it. even if they only sell them online to save applestore real estate/space, just do it.

 

[chscag]

Member @CWallace hit the nail on the head. Why would Apple make a 5K display that would likely not sell well? It's not a mistake they no longer make their own displays; it's known as a good business decision.

 

[dukee101]

I think there's another angle to this, as discussed on the ATP podcast, that it's just good for marketing. Back when the Thunderbolt Display was in production, there would be so many product photos that featured MacBooks, Mac Minis, and Mac Pros with the display prominently placed behind/next to it. It was a good sell. Even if the market was very small, just the perception of it was powerful. If Apple is so big of a company, why *not* make this product? They already have all the technology in place. This might be another one of those "Culture of No" things we've heard about the company. "The hardest thing to do is what business we should *not* get into" as their execs have talked about. Fine... but this sucks

 

[CWallace]

I think there's another angle to this, as discussed on the ATP podcast, that it's just good for marketing.

But the purpose of marketing is to sell things. And it seems that the Thunderbolt display was not selling, even though it offered real value to MacBook Air (and to a lesser extent MacBook Pro) customers as it was also a hub in addition to a display. Of course, that value lessened as the product aged and it's ports went out of date, but then because it sold so poorly, Apple had so many they could not get rid of them (to make way for an updated model with modern ports) unless they "fire-saled" them and Apple doesn't do that because it dilutes the brand (marketing).

So Apple releasing their own 5K display would just do the same - people would complain how expensive it was and how poor a value it was (since the USB-C ports are not max-speed and it doesn't support Thunderbolt 3) and how people are idiots to buy it when they could get a "Dell and a dock" for so much less. And in a couple of years when USB-C is twice as fast as it is now and Thunderbolt 4 is out, everyone would bitch how Apple is charging so much for an outdated display.

The only marketing Apple gets out of being in the Display business (and router business, for that matter) is bad marketing.

 

[steve62388]

I expect it took Apple five years to burn through their stock of Thunderbolt displays due to the high price tag and they don't want to have to sit on another five years of stock with their own 5K Thunderbolt 3 display when they can shift that risk to LG.

I'm sure it didn't sell well, if it did Apple would still be selling monitors. But there is no way a company that allegedly rotates it's stock every five days got caught with five years supply. By that reasoning every time Apple lets a product line languish it's because they are sitting on old stock (Mac Pro, Mac mini etc). That's clearly not the case.

 

[Fishrrman]

"Why No Apple-made Next-Gen/5K Display?"

While we're at it:
Why No Apple-made LaserWriters any more?