Apple Offering Free Licensing of Mini DisplayPort Spec

[MacRumors]

Arstechnica points to Apple's mini DisplayPort license which is available as a "no fee" license to interested parties. Apple introduced the Mini Display port with its new notebooks and 24" LED Cinema Display in October.

This licensing news adds some clarity to the debate about whether or not the Mini DisplayPort was a proprietary solution from Apple alone. The no fee license should allow 3rd party manufacturers to integrate the port into their own products and also to develop additional useful adapters. For example, Apple currently doesn't offer the appropriate adapter to allow customers to connect older Macs to their new 24" Apple LED Cinema Display.

Apple has said that they will be integrating the Mini Display port into all future products.

Article Link: Apple Offering Free Licensing of Mini DisplayPort Spec

[rdowns]

Maybe they learned a lesson from their attempts to make FW a standard. As I understand it, licensing it was expensive.

[dukebound85]

great news

i agree with you rdowns about how firewire might have played a role in this

[Blue Velvet]

Still strikes me as backwards. Why not work with other manufacturers first to develop a standard, instead of coming up with one and hoping it gets picked up? Maybe someone smarter than me can explain this way of thinking.

[longofest]

This is definitely good news. Apple said Mini and Micro DVI were "standards" as well, but because only they used it you had to go to them for adapters and it wasn't really a standard as we know it (the standard they were referring to was DVI, not the physical connection, which is misleading if you ask me).

Originally Posted by Blue Velvet

Still strikes me as backwards. Why not work with other manufacturers first to develop a standard, instead of coming up with one and hoping it gets picked up? Maybe someone smarter than me can explain this way of thinking.

oh, i think you're smart enough. it is backwards. Apple thinking too much about keeping things under wraps.

[reguy3]

As someone who doesn't plan on upgrading my laptop in the near future, this provides some hope that I will be able to enjoy the new 24" cinema display! Yay!

[diamond.g]

Originally Posted by reguy3

As someone who doesn't plan on upgrading my laptop in the near future, this provides some hope that I will be able to enjoy the new 24" cinema display! Yay!

Sadly you will need an active converter ($$$) as the new 24" display is most likely Direct Drive (only understands Display Port).

[darwinian]

Great news. Now to await less expensive options for converters.

[Small White Car]

Originally Posted by Blue Velvet

Still strikes me as backwards. Why not work with other manufacturers first to develop a standard, instead of coming up with one and hoping it gets picked up? Maybe someone smarter than me can explain this way of thinking.

Because other manufacturers are more interested in making it as cheap to make as possible which is a fight Apple has no desire to be a part of.

Apple figures they'll come out with something that they're happy with, and others will either follow along or they won't.

In this particular case, I think Apple is safe. This will probably catch on.

[fishy007]

Originally Posted by Blue Velvet

Still strikes me as backwards. Why not work with other manufacturers first to develop a standard, instead of coming up with one and hoping it gets picked up? Maybe someone smarter than me can explain this way of thinking.

I think doing this would cost them money in the long run. They'd have to co-ordinate the manufacturers, engage in debates, discussions, meetings, etc. As it is, they have a solid consumer base that is growing and they have the ability to do in-house development on their own products at their own pace. By making their own product and then giving away the licensing freely they are accomplishing what they need to do without all the costs of collaboration.

Because of the loyal consumer base, manufacturers will start making products with the Apple standard and Apple has made sure that their standard is accessible, while still somewhat proprietary.

[azdude]

Excellent - it definitely is pin-compatible with Display Port (see here for comparison).

It will be nice when a more-complete suite (DVI, VGA, HDMI, DisplayPort, Component?, S-Video? etc.) of (cheaper) adaptors are available on Monoprice

[ltldrummerboy]

Very surprised by this. I can't believe Apple is actually giving something away for free.

[jaw04005]

Originally Posted by rdowns

Maybe they learned a lesson from their attempts to make FW a standard. As I understand it, licensing it was expensive.

Expensive is a relative term.

The IEEE 1394 Trade Association charges a $0.25 per end-user system fee split between all patent owners (including Sony and Apple).

This compared to Intel's $1500—2500 flat fee for USB 2.0.

Even today, Firewire is dubbed by most PC makers a "premium" port. For reference, Dell charges $30 for a Firewire card add-on on most of its BTO systems that don't already include the port. HP only includes it on its more expensive systems (those generally with recording capabilities).

Sony ships it on everything, but charges an overall premium for their systems. I'm not sure about Gateway.

[Cappy]

Originally Posted by Blue Velvet

Still strikes me as backwards. Why not work with other manufacturers first to develop a standard, instead of coming up with one and hoping it gets picked up? Maybe someone smarter than me can explain this way of thinking.

This is more about Apple wanting accessory manufacturers to provide adapters so there's not much need for a "standard" out of the gate. By going this route they add one more reason for customers to consider buying a new Macbook or Macbook Pro out of the gate. Apple is more interested in selling new laptops than monitors.

If you're thinking of this as a standard that someone like Dell, HP, Viewsonic, and Samsung could agree on, you have to understand that with Apple's focus on laptops and getting smaller that by doing this(provided any others are interested), they could give up any advantage of being first with it.

So, it's alot more than just hiding stuff. There are real strategies to this. On the whole I'd guess we'll see more than a few adapters and cables but not much in the way of other computer or monitor companies taking advantage of it. Of course any details in the license could sway that. If I had the time, I'd check it out.

Originally Posted by ltldrummerboy

Very surprised by this. I can't believe Apple is actually giving something away for free.

Their customers need adapters.

Originally Posted by fishy007

I think doing this would cost them money in the long run. They'd have to co-ordinate the manufacturers, engage in debates, discussions, meetings, etc. As it is, they have a solid consumer base that is growing and they have the ability to do in-house development on their own products at their own pace. By making their own product and then giving away the licensing freely they are accomplishing what they need to do without all the costs of collaboration.

I don't think Apple would care of the costs of collaboration, the time yes, but costs I doubt it.

They would also not be happy to have another company either then beat them to delivery with competing products using the same port or have any companies that might stall what they're trying to do. Jobs would rather have Apple be the ones only capable of shooting themselves in the foot and not another company doing it to them.

Like I said I think this is more about adapters and cables.

[haunebu]

Let me get this straight...

Apple created the Mini DisplayPort spec, owns and controls it. But they're willing to let other people implement it on Apple's terms.

No thanks.

DisplayPort is great - it's an industry standard created by VESA. But Mini DisplayPort is just Apple's attempt at controlling yet another segment of the market.

[Biolizard]

Creating a standard before the product exists hasn't always proven successful. Look at the OSI protocol stack for example, compared with the success of TCP/IP. Ethernet was also developed before it became a standard (802.3).

[motulist]

Originally Posted by haunebu

Apple created the Mini DisplayPort spec, owns and controls it. But they're willing to let other people implement it on Apple's terms.

And what's even worse, afaik they're only offering the license free for now, if the port becomes widely adopted there's nothing stopping them from making the license have fees in the future.

[danny_w]

Originally Posted by Small White Car

Because other manufacturers are more interested in making it as cheap to make as possible which is a fight Apple has no desire to be a part of.

Apple figures they'll come out with something that they're happy with, and others will either follow along or they won't.

In this particular case, I think Apple is safe. This will probably catch on.

I'm not sure about that. One of the physical advantages of Display Port over HDMI that many have touted is the physical latch built into the connector. Unfortunately this physical latch is missing on Apple's miniDP connector.

[boer]

Originally Posted by MacRumors

For example, Apple currently doesn't offer the appropriate adapter to allow customers to connect older Macs to their new 24" Apple LED Cinema Display.

Sounds like you are assuming the LED display is build to accept VGA or DVI pass-through signals over DisplayPort. Those are in fact optional and making use of (mini) DisplayPort port does not imply anything about possibility of legacy signaling.

[Joe The Dragon]

Originally Posted by jaw04005

Expensive is a relative term.

The IEEE 1394 Trade Association charges a $0.25 per end-user system fee split between all patent owners (including Sony and Apple).

This compared to Intel's $1500—2500 flat fee for USB 2.0.

Even today, Firewire is dubbed by most PC makers a "premium" port. For reference, Dell charges $30 for a Firewire card add-on on most of its BTO systems that don't already include the port. HP only includes it on its more expensive systems (those generally with recording capabilities).

Sony ships it on everything, but charges an overall premium for their systems. I'm not sure about Gateway.

and you can buy pci firewire card for $10 - $15 and a lot of MB come with firewire on board.

[dal20402]

Glad to see this.

Those who are braying about how mini-DP is "proprietary" are missing the fact that it is merely DP with a different physical connector. Now that the license is available, lots of people should be able to build very simple and inexpensive mini-DP/DP and DP/mini-DP adapters and, better yet, cables.

Since full-sized DP will probably appear on all new midrange and high-end displays from this point forward, as well as most PCs, the connectivity issues people are experiencing right now with mini-DP MacBooks and the 24" LED Cinema should be gone within a few months.

[darwinian]

I'm also not so concerned with what the rest of the market will do in this case, actually -- I'm just banking on this being incentive enough for Mac peripheral manufacturers to fill the market space with more adapters and more attractive prices. If only they'd license out the freaking MagSafe port, we could have an affordable secondary power adapter. While I'm on the subject, they oughta sell the duck heads and power cables separately.

[dongmin]

Originally Posted by danny_w

I'm not sure about that. One of the physical advantages of Display Port over HDMI that many have touted is the physical latch built into the connector. Unfortunately this physical latch is missing on Apple's miniDP connector.

It doesn't need to become an industry-wide standard overnight. All it needs to do is be picked up by a few 3rd party developers, like Belkin or Kensington.

Apple did fine with their proprietary iPod connectors. As long as Apple is moving a lot of Macs, I don't see how this new standard is going to do worse.

Apple has much more invested in a "mini" standard like this than the rest of the industry. This mini-Displayport could eventually make its way into the next generation of Apple sub-notes, tablets, etc. No doubt, it would have taken A LOT LONGER for the whole industry to agree on a new standard, not to mention that Apple would be showing its hand.

[djellison]

I'll believe it when I see DL-DVI adaptors for <£70 from the likes of Belkin etc.

[CHSE]

Originally Posted by Blue Velvet

Still strikes me as backwards. Why not work with other manufacturers first to develop a standard, instead of coming up with one and hoping it gets picked up? Maybe someone smarter than me can explain this way of thinking.

I agree - does no-one remember ADC?