Apple Discontinues Thunderbolt Display

[xSinghx]

It is perfectly fine pointing out the the current Mac Pro is 2.5 years old. It is also perfectly fine pointing out that a new Mac Pro released six months ago would not be very different. Because it gives context as to how much we are missing compared to a situation in which a new Mac Pro had been released.

You're totally right quibbling about 6months on processors for the Mac Pro doesn't at all make you look like a desperate white knight fanboy coming to the rescue of your favorite brand. Apple is on the cutting edge of technology with a monitor that hasn't been updated in 5yrs and a Mac Pro that hasn't been updated in 3.

Are we done here?

 

[CWallace]

Well Intel has changed the Xeon socket twice already since the Mac Pro launched so Apple would have had to engineer a new system board for both Haswell/Broadwell and now Skylake. And those new CPUs mostly just brought better power efficiency, which is not all that critical to a workstation.

So really, there was nothing compelling for Apple to update, CPU wise.

GPUs might be a different story (I don't really follow the professional GPU market).

 

[xSinghx]

I read it...

Of course you read the complaints that's why you had to ask "why the complaints?" - makes sense. Your obnoxious post then - of course - didn't address any of said complaints only to offer - "move on." Here's an idea, if you don't care about the product being discussed maybe "move on" to whatever consumer crap itoys float your boat - I hear they have them in rose gold now.

 

[sudo1996]

Target display mode?

Doesn't work on the 5K iMac, unfortunately.

 

[bladerunner2000]

Of course you read the complaints that's why you had to ask "why the complaints?" - makes sense. Your obnoxious post then - of course - didn't address any of said complaints only to offer - "move on." Here's an idea, if you don't care about the product being discussed maybe "move on" to whatever consumer crap itoys float your boat - I hear they have them in rose gold now.

LOL!!

 

[melendezest]

HAHAHAHAHAHA...
..::Wipes tears away::..
You clearly dont know Apple...

I do, but one can dream, right?

In any case, I buy everything Apple from their refurb store, and there are heavy (for Apple) discounts there. I was speaking within that context.

For example, even at $200 less this monitor would still be overpriced, but $200 is a BIG markdown in any context.

For Apple diehards with slightly older tech (and Apple OCD, like me), I'd consider that a win still.

 

[peterdevries]

Your argument makes sense! Let's just attack someone without knowing who they are! if you asked you might know that ....I worked for Apple dealing with the Pro Market for about 4 years. I worked for many large companies building Mac Video/Film production suites, photo labs, and design studios for about 16 years. The biggest customer of Apple displays is commercial. It was true when I was there, it is true now (based on info from people I still know there). If you are delusional and think Apple is in the game of the professional markets I'll let you take a look at this page and this page, count the professional products and try to get the same count today (Hermes watch bands don't count).

Now you claim that they are not suited for pro uses.....where is your backup documentation??? Where is your proof. I'd say you have no idea what you are talking about....but that would be operating without the facts.

You sound like so many here that live in a bubble thinking their use case -and only theirs- is a professional use case. I can see the points of Apple's workstations being less geared towards heavy video editing, but the fact of the matter is (and sales figures support it) that Apple computers are more used in the business and consumer space than ever.

I work as a consultant in technology and innovation. Our technology center employs engineers of which most use Macs (they are free to choose the hardware that gets the job done) because they are the best machines for the job. They are MBPs and iMacs. And we do state of the art stuff, such as the development of medical devices and rapid prototyping using e.g. fluid dynamics models created on macs. I myself use a MBP for Creative Cloud and it is fantastic.

At my clients which are in manufacturing, R&D as well as general business I see Macs more often than ever. Those are usually MBAs and less so MBPs. I never see Mac Pros.

What I think is happening is that over time Apple's product portfolio has become powerful enough to cover most professional business cases. True there are some fields where they are disappearing (I worked in Biotech and the Mac has mostly disappeared as a workstation for e.g. DNA sequencers), but it does not mean Apple has abandoned the business user completely. What we are seeing is one the one hand a convergence of business and consumer hardware in Apple's lineup and on the other hand Apple abandoning smaller professional niches that are apparently not profitable enough.

 

[X38]

Maybe because the thunderbolt port is a joke and nobody uses it?

No. Because it's a 2k display that hasn't been upgraded for five years, but is still priced as though it is on the cutting edge. Just in case that wasn't stupidly obvious.

 

[oopsroger]

How, exactly, was it sad?

Let's see:
terribly pricy
glossy
no portrait mode
heavy
thick
wide bezels

the list just goes on and on.

 

[alphaod]

I have three of these going back years. Great for daisy chain off one Mac.

However I have moved onto the Dell 5K; that's a monster.

 

[robeddie]

Well, this rumor changes everything we have said for the past 17 pages:
https://www.macrumors.com/2016/06/24/thunderbolt-display-integrated-gpu/

Apple still loves their truck business.

Well, to be fair, Apple hasn't announced this, it's still a rumor. So let's not get ahead of ourselves.

 

[Cineplex]

Even when Apple's discontinuance announcement suggests other non-Apple monitors are available? If they have a replacement pending, why make that statement?

Exactly! There is not a replacement coming. It's over.

You sound like so many here that live in a bubble thinking their use case -and only theirs- is a professional use case. I can see the points of Apple's workstations being less geared towards heavy video editing, but the fact of the matter is (and sales figures support it) that Apple computers are more used in the business and consumer space than ever.

I work as a consultant in technology and innovation. Our technology center employs engineers of which most use Macs (they are free to choose the hardware that gets the job done) because they are the best machines for the job. They are MBPs and iMacs. And we do state of the art stuff, such as the development of medical devices and rapid prototyping using e.g. fluid dynamics models created on macs. I myself use a MBP for Creative Cloud and it is fantastic.

At my clients which are in manufacturing, R&D as well as general business I see Macs more often than ever. Those are usually MBAs and less so MBPs. I never see Mac Pros.

What I think is happening is that over time Apple's product portfolio has become powerful enough to cover most professional business cases. True there are some fields where they are disappearing (I worked in Biotech and the Mac has mostly disappeared as a workstation for e.g. DNA sequencers), but it does not mean Apple has abandoned the business user completely. What we are seeing is one the one hand a convergence of business and consumer hardware in Apple's lineup and on the other hand Apple abandoning smaller professional niches that are apparently not profitable enough.

Right, Apple will sell an iMac to both consumer and commercial companies because it requires no extra effort. They have abandoned the idea of making specific products availible to specific market (eg. WebObjects, Shake, Aperture). They just want to put as little effort in the Mac as possible so they can sell watch bands and iPhones with confetti messaging. The fact that you are not seeing them in bio is really quite sad. They were big there due to Mac OS X's Unix core. That says to me that Apples lack of an affordable professional grade Mac took them out of that space. Most of the use cases I found in that field needed PCI cards for special machine connections (back in the G5 days).

All these small niches start adding up to some real money. Money that will start to matter when people stop caring that Min Mouse's dress can match your watch band.

 

[RobertMartens]

Nope. September is part of the fiscal fall I believe.

Really?

• 4th quarter: 1 July 2016 – 30 September 2016

The 4th quarter looks a lot like summer to me.

 

[CWallace]

All these small niches start adding up to some real money. Money that will start to matter when people stop caring that Min Mouse's dress can match your watch band.

Then Apple will return to that market with new product that addresses it. Apple could not compete with Dell and HP in workstations when the Mac Pro used PowerPC, but once they went to Intel, they could. So if Apple can no longer compete again with Dell and HP on Intel because of lack of progress, all they need to do is focus on it again and they will.

 

[Steve121178]

Of course you read the complaints that's why you had to ask "why the complaints?" - makes sense. Your obnoxious post then - of course - didn't address any of said complaints only to offer - "move on." Here's an idea, if you don't care about the product being discussed maybe "move on" to whatever consumer crap itoys float your boat - I hear they have them in rose gold now.

My post wasn't obnoxious. You are crying over a product that doesn't exist. You have too much free time on your hands so just pick up one of the many excellent displays that are available and get back to work. You know, one of the displays that many thousands of creative professionals are happily using to earn a living. Probably the pick of the bunch are the Dell's as many people in the thread have strongly recommended with first-hand experience.

There are no complaints to address. Apple killed the line so people have to move on.

 

[Cineplex]

Then Apple will return to that market with new product that addresses it. Apple could not compete with Dell and HP in workstations when the Mac Pro used PowerPC, but once they went to Intel, they could. So if Apple can no longer compete again with Dell and HP on Intel because of lack of progress, all they need to do is focus on it again and they will.

The PPC chip was not holding them back. The first Power Mac G5 (not Mac Pro) is what really put the Mac into a lot of the sciences and more of the arts, not the Intel chip. The G5 (PPC 970) smoked the pants off anything available on the market. Especially if it was optimized to use the hardware correctly and not just a lame port. Mac OS X itself was the big catalyst for change that made pros interested. The G4 was also a pretty good penetration tool. The Intel transition is part of the problem. When Apple was using PowerPC and working with IBM & Motorola they were able to make superior products to Intel every time. Now that the Mac has Intel garbage in it, the market has stalled and not much innovation has been happening in chips....only really in mobile. So the Mac is, in reality, no different than any other PC out there. Sure there are some hardware design differences and perhaps quality differences...but it is a PC. The Mac stopped being a Macintosh the day they put Intel inside.

And as for Apple "refocusing" on something they dropped.....that song is over. All of the brand trust is gone. Do you really think an FX studio is going to invest in Mac's after they left them hanging with Shake and a lame 3 year old Mac Pro that has proprietary parts with nobody interested in making products for it (graphics cards)? No. What about web developers that relied on WebObjects and Apple said "good luck you are on your own". Then there are the photographers that invested in Aperture for many years and then told, "Sorry, we're done with Aperture". Silicon Graphics had the same problem when they briefly tried to abandon the MIPS processor for Intel (Visual Workstations)...everyone left and NEVER came back. You can't tell your customers to go pound sand and then expect to win them back years later. It just doesn't work.

Maybe get Tim Cook out the door. His CONSTANT political crap is just getting in the way. He has turned Apple into his own personal soap box. I am all for most of what he is going on about....but Apple should not be a political engine. It is a company that need to be focused. Look at what happened before Jobs came back. Apple lost focus...and that is happening today. While they are at it Tell Jonny Ive to get back to reality and stop with the fashion crap (or just get rid of him). Phil & Craig are really the only soul left at the top of Apple. Everyone else has gone nuts. Eddy Cue can also be shown the door so he can dance his way out.

 

[MacGizmo]

Well I refuse to put a Samsung or Dell monitor on my desk, so I guess it's just iMacs from here on out.

If it's about the appearance for you, then I completely understand. But just in case you don't know, the LCD panel in the Cinema Display is the exact same one found in the Dell UltraSharp models. EXACT same one. With the Dell, you pay nearly half the price, get twice as many USB 3 ports, an SD card reader, HDMI, adjustable height & swivel stand.

 

[1=1?]

Uh oh, if they lump the display release in with the MBP release we could be looking at another few years.

 

[Cineplex]

If it's about the appearance for you, then I completely understand. But just in case you don't know, the LCD panel in the Cinema Display is the exact same one found in the Dell UltraSharp models. EXACT same one. With the Dell, you pay nearly half the price, get twice as many USB 3 ports, an SD card reader, HDMI, adjustable height & swivel stand.

Remember when Apple Cinema Displays looked completely original compared to the rest of the market. I think if they had gone that route with the current generation they would have gotten more sales (if that really even matters). I was willing back in the early 00's to pay for the Cinema Display...just on looks alone. It make a statement and was very very unique. Today....I'm not that interested in the design. It seems like they don't know how to be bold anymore...just thin. But it was the same thing back then. Same panel in the Dell as the Apple....but with better packaging.

 

[MacGizmo]

I remember all the Cinema Displays you're referring to. And the Sawtooth G4 towers, the clear keyboard cases, the clear mouse, the original G5 tower, the Mirror Drive Door G5, the Mac Cube... Apple has released a lot of cool looking stuff.

I guess I'm just older, but I prefer to think of it as wiser. I will not pay more money simply because "it looks cooler." Because at the end of the day I use it to get work done, and almost nobody but me ever sees it anyway. But all the products I mentioned above were horrible products by every other measure.

 

[Atlantico]

Back in 2012, I gave up on Apple. They were never going to make the computer I needed or wanted again.

All I needed was a workstation and a smartphone.

In the end, Windows was simply the only choice. Windows 10 is actually pretty awesome and Windows 10 Mobile matches the abilities of iOS and then some. I'm just thankful that the alternative was there when I needed to switch, because good grief Wintels sucked before Windows 8.

Apple used to be an amazing company, with inspired hardware and some of it still is - but only the iOS hardware. The Macintosh is dead.

 

[Cineplex]

Back in 2012, I gave up on Apple. They were never going to make the computer I needed or wanted again.

All I needed was a workstation and a smartphone.

In the end, Windows was simply the only choice. Windows 10 is actually pretty awesome and Windows 10 Mobile matches the abilities of iOS and then some. I'm just thankful that the alternative was there when I needed to switch, because good grief Wintels sucked before Windows 8.

Apple used to be an amazing company, with inspired hardware and some of it still is - but only the iOS hardware. The Macintosh is dead.

We are both in the same boat, except I waited until this year. Replaced my Mac Mini (gave to the wife) with a Dell XPS 8900 and a nice Dell display. Threw in a GTX 980 and 32GB of RAM and OMG what a computer. It only cost me about $1,199. You can't beat that value. The speed reminds me of the G5 days.

I think Windows has evolved and really pushed the envelop of OS design. There is still plenty of legacy pieces there, but you can clearly see they are working hard to modernize it. One thing I like about Windows is that I can run really old apps like Hotline...haven't been able to run a good Mac client in years.....Windows 10 can run the original version from the 90's. Mac OS X is basically the same as it was in 2001. They just keep piling crap on top of it...kind of like Mac OS 9. Mac OS 11 needs to happen. Microsoft has taken some big risks in the last few years in terms of design. Metro is one example. The fact that a Mac can't run VR is just a huge joke.

There are still apps I haven't replaced like Logic...but most things are on Windows now anyways. The ONLY application keeping me on iPhone is SkyGuide. I use it all the time and feel that it is the best out there. I keep hoping Apple will make something I will lust after again....but every WWDC and event is filled with disappointed. If you told the me of the 90's I'd have a Dell on my desk....I'd probably laugh hysterically at you....but here we are. Apple hasn't made a computer I've wanted since the quad G5.

 

[xSinghx]

My post wasn't obnoxious. You are crying over a product that doesn't exist...There are no complaints to address. Apple killed the line so people have to move on.

Your post wasn't obnoxious? So it's just you then? You're "crying" in a thread over a product you don't care about, over complaints you don't read or address. Initially asking the thread to spoon feed you an explanation of them and now you simply deny their presence. You go on to reiterate vacuous infantile garbage with fascist staccatos like "move on."

Forums are used for discussion. If you have nothing to discuss then you really don't belong here do you. At least the people doing the complaining have something to say - kid.

 

[Cineplex]

Your post wasn't obnoxious? So it's just you then? You're "crying" in a thread over a product you don't care about, over complaints you don't read or address. Initially asking the thread to spoon feed you an explanation of them and now you simply deny their presence. You go on to reiterate vacuous infantile garbage with fascist staccatos like "move on."

Forums are used for discussion. If you have nothing to discuss then you really don't belong here do you. At least the people doing the complaining have something to say - kid.

That made me laugh!!!!

I think some people forget that forums are for discussions. I for one enjoy the debate of something like this and hearing all the different arguments. Sometimes people just want to talk about these things, even at length. Its like sitting around drinking beers with your buddies talking about nothing. Apple related things often involve emotions and sometimes people just want to express those emotions. That is a forum. Not here is the post, here is the answer. We're not posting "how to fix my printer" here!

 

[shaunp]

Problem is colour accuracy was not something the TBD was strong at even when it was new. And without assistance of a calibration tool, colour accuracy was outright terrible (and not suited for professional use). Today even gaming oriented displays (like Asus Swift) has better colour accuracy out-of-box, but its not even marketed for that - but rather its 144hz refresh rate.

True, my point was if you are looking at cheap displays don't forget to take colour accuracy into account. Sometimes things can be too cheap.