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Apple Offering 32-Inch 4K Sharp Displays in European Online Apple Stores [Updated]
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Apple left the business way before
For that price I'd rather get a 6 Core 2013 Mac Pro!
swingerofbirch
macrumors 68040
If it's DisplayPort rather than ThuderBolt, doesn't it lose all of the benefits like data transfer? And how does it carry soundI thought DisplayPort was audio only?
Seems un-Apple like. When the Cube came out, I remember in the Ive product demo video, he talked about how the pieces were so complementary (that was quite a beautiful set up: the Cube, its speakers, keyboard, mouse and the Apple flat panel). I would have thought that given the similarities to the Cube, they might have come out with matching keyboard and mouse (black instead of white and silver) and maybe a set of speakers and at least a display.
On the other hand, if the market for the Mac Pro is so low that they were debating whether to make one or not, the market for its accessories will be even lower. No other Mac for now will be able to power a 4K display, making it a very niche product. Maybe they assume that someone buying a Mac Pro will be doing a lot of customization of their set up and look for third party displays anyway. Still, Apple's always been able to be competitive with their displays in terms of quality if not price.
Seems un-Apple like. When the Cube came out, I remember in the Ive product demo video, he talked about how the pieces were so complementary (that was quite a beautiful set up: the Cube, its speakers, keyboard, mouse and the Apple flat panel). I would have thought that given the similarities to the Cube, they might have come out with matching keyboard and mouse (black instead of white and silver) and maybe a set of speakers and at least a display.
On the other hand, if the market for the Mac Pro is so low that they were debating whether to make one or not, the market for its accessories will be even lower. No other Mac for now will be able to power a 4K display, making it a very niche product. Maybe they assume that someone buying a Mac Pro will be doing a lot of customization of their set up and look for third party displays anyway. Still, Apple's always been able to be competitive with their displays in terms of quality if not price.
Except this is online, so there's no space limitation.
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Nope, DisplayPort can do audio. DisplayPort has the ability to send an HDMI signal as well, so can actually be used for virtually anything HDMI can. The only real benefit it has over HDMI is that it's under a royalty-free license, and HDMI is not. DP also has slightly higher bandwidth, which can be used for multiple audio/video streams over the same cable (although I dont think anyones actually utilised that bit yet)
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Hmmm... I'll wait for next years model when it hopefully comes with an S-Video port for my VHS player.
Now, it's more like $5400 in US $. I just looked at the Apple US Store and it's not listed. At least not yet.
argh too big and too expensive... my TV in my room is 32".
Why won't apple offer this in the US Store?
Why won't apple offer this in the US Store?
Some stores in Sweden are taking pre-orders for the DELL 32" for about $2435+tax and Apple is charging $4565+tax for the Sharp.
Insane price.
Heck, you can get a Sony XBR-55X900A 55Inch 4K TV for $5000.
It's kinda sad that people say like "in U.K. and other European countries" as if the other nice little nations ain't good enough. Just cause England is that one cool country! It is not!! use Netherlands, Italy or Germany instead, they're all nice but UK makes me sick
use Netherlands, Italy or Germany instead, they're all nice but UK makes me sick Use: "in The Vatican and other European countries". BTW Apple should open a Apple Store there, that would be so cool.It's kinda sad that people say like "in U.K. and other European countries" as if the other nice little nations ain't good enough. Just cause England is that one cool country! It is not!!
Let's not s... harp on the price. It's the first gen priced for early adopters and pros.
Since Apple propped up Sharp with a multimillion dollar investment it makes sense to offer this display and maybe get some of that money back.
Also, they could have just slapped their logo on it.
Test phase as somebody already posted.
This monitor would appear to have been available for some time now. There's one review on the Amazon offering (and it's not a positive one) dated August 26th of this year and the reviewer states they'd been using it for months prior to that.
The Asus PQ321Q uses the same panel as this Sharp PNK321. The Sharp monitor may be new to the Apple online store but it and the Asus monitor have been on sale for a while. The newly announced Dell 32" UP3214Q uses the same panel too. Here's a review of the Asus monitor from July 2013:
http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Displays/ASUS-PQ321Q-315-4K-60-Hz-Tiled-Monitor-Review
Aside from their cost, the main disadvantage for me is with their video connection. To get 3840x2160 at 60Hz refresh rate using HDMI, you need to connect the monitor with two HDMI cords. The monitor works with a single Displayport cable but your video card has to support Displayport 1.2. Anyone who is buying a $3500 monitor is probably likely to have a video card that has dual HDMI or Displayport 1.2 support but what a nuisance.
Furthermore, both the Displayport and HDMI methods rely on multi-stream transport to display 3840x2160 at 60Hz refresh rate. What that means is that the video card outputs two separate 1920x2160 signals which are then "stitched" together to produce a single 3840x2160 image. It's essentially a variation on tech developed for multi-monitor support. It works but it's not 100% seamless; it will run into the same problems that multi-monitors experience with operating systems, Mac OS included.
Displayport 1.2 itself isn't the problem; it has the bandwidth to support 3840x2160/60Hz over a single video stream but the limiting factor is the current generation of transceivers/controllers in the monitors. Controllers that support single stream 3840x2160/60Hz are expected to ship next year. Once they do and are incorporated into the next generation of 4K monitors, prices will have gone down, Displayport 1.2 support in video cards will be widespread and no one will have to deal with this multi-stream nonsense. The current crop of 4K monitors are fun to look at and high-DPI desktop monitors are inevitable but like most new tech, the first generation of products has lots of caveats and limitations that potential buyers should be aware of.
http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Displays/ASUS-PQ321Q-315-4K-60-Hz-Tiled-Monitor-Review
Aside from their cost, the main disadvantage for me is with their video connection. To get 3840x2160 at 60Hz refresh rate using HDMI, you need to connect the monitor with two HDMI cords. The monitor works with a single Displayport cable but your video card has to support Displayport 1.2. Anyone who is buying a $3500 monitor is probably likely to have a video card that has dual HDMI or Displayport 1.2 support but what a nuisance.
Furthermore, both the Displayport and HDMI methods rely on multi-stream transport to display 3840x2160 at 60Hz refresh rate. What that means is that the video card outputs two separate 1920x2160 signals which are then "stitched" together to produce a single 3840x2160 image. It's essentially a variation on tech developed for multi-monitor support. It works but it's not 100% seamless; it will run into the same problems that multi-monitors experience with operating systems, Mac OS included.
Displayport 1.2 itself isn't the problem; it has the bandwidth to support 3840x2160/60Hz over a single video stream but the limiting factor is the current generation of transceivers/controllers in the monitors. Controllers that support single stream 3840x2160/60Hz are expected to ship next year. Once they do and are incorporated into the next generation of 4K monitors, prices will have gone down, Displayport 1.2 support in video cards will be widespread and no one will have to deal with this multi-stream nonsense. The current crop of 4K monitors are fun to look at and high-DPI desktop monitors are inevitable but like most new tech, the first generation of products has lots of caveats and limitations that potential buyers should be aware of.
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I would never spend this much on a monitor, but if you think about it, it's almost right in line with the cost of Apple's original 22" Cinema Display. In 1999, that 22" 1600x1024 display was cutting edge and cost a whopping $3,999. In today's dollars, that's about $5,500.
So, if Apple were to sell a 32" 4K display today for $5,700, that would be very close to what they were charging for the original Cinema Display.
So, if Apple were to sell a 32" 4K display today for $5,700, that would be very close to what they were charging for the original Cinema Display.
It's kinda sad that people say like "in U.K. and other European countries" as if the other nice little nations ain't good enough. Just cause England is that one cool country! It is not!!
People say that because the UK is not attached to continental Europe and because it does not use the Euro for currency. Also because the UK itself is made up of multiple countries as it were. Thus it is someone separate from the rest of Europe.
4K UHD is 2160p, which has the same number of vertical lines as the digital cinema specification for 4K (which has just has a slightly wider aspect ratio). It's acceptable to refer to UHD as 4K.
This 4K business is fine if youre situated close enough to the display to discern all that sharp goodness. But on some TV setups, say in a 5.1 configuration, the sweet spot for sound could be further back.
It's worse than that: " Retailing for £3,499.00 or approximately $5,700..."
So $5,700. PLUS the cost of reading lessons.
EDIT: I MIGHT owe you an apology, dlewis23: Maybe you were referring to the dell at closer to that price point. It WAS mentioned in the article, so maybe i'll need to join you in reading class.
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