Firstly, because Apple is the poster-child of NIH-syndrome.
Secondly, because if they'd just used regular DisplayPort, they wouldn't have been able to charge outrageous amounts for adapters to solve a they needlessly created in the first place.
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Apple Offering Free Licensing of Mini DisplayPort Spec
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Firstly, because Apple is the poster-child of NIH-syndrome.
Secondly, because if they'd just used regular DisplayPort, they wouldn't have been able to charge outrageous amounts for adapters to solve a they needlessly created in the first place.
"In related news, Sony announces it will cut Blu-ray licensing costs by 75 percent starting Jan. 1 ..."
OK, OK. Can't I dream?
OK, OK. Can't I dream?
Was there ever a reason to develop mini-displayport in the first place. Wouldn't a regular displayport port fit on all of apples current machines?
Once you've paid that $2000ish to get a Vendor ID, you can implement it on as many units as you want. If you are a manufacturer whose product lines' combined sales add up to, say, 500,000 units, then you still pay the same single $2000 fee. (If you also want permission to use the USB 2.0 logo on your products, it looks as though you'd have to keep on paying a minimum of $2000ish every two years.)
On the other hand, if a particular vendor already has a Vendor ID, and they have a few spare Product ID codes that they want to sell out, you could probably get some products to market that way. For example, that's how FTDI's turnkey USB interface products work - they will issue a block of up to 8 Product IDs (each of which could be used to support a full product line) free of charge, provided you only ever use those product IDs in conjunction with FTDI's Vendor ID, which they maintain control of.
If you use firewire in your products instead, and move the same 500,000 units, then you'll be paying $125,000 in firewire license fees.
When you compare $125,000 versus $2000 (or free), firewire's status as a relatively more expensive technology is justified. Don't forget, because Apple doesn't own all of the patents on firewire, they are also required to pay the same $0.25 royalty as everybody else to put firewire ports on their products. Albeit, they, like Sony, will eventually get a percentage of those fees paid back to them.
Yes, the regular DisplayPort connector would fit on all of Apple's current machines. However, they'd have had to give up 2 or 3 more ports to do so.
This is the way it's done 90% of the time in the electronics/computing industry. Develop a technology, then put it forth as a potential standard and hope it gets picked up. The problem with trying to agree on a standard beforehand is that it take years for disparate companies to agree on something. Pretty much the only times standardization procedes productization is when the lack of multi-company cooperation is a showstopper.
One of the reasons I just got a previous gen laptop. VGA, DVI, and s-video/composite capability on the cheap.
Not just on the cheap, but actually doable without an active converter box. there are no cables possible for this with the new MB/MBA/MBP.
Rubbish. A Displayport port is a touch larger than a USB port. As can be seen from the picture here, it could fit in place of the mini-DP just by placing the audio connectors slightly closer together.
DisplayPort is not great--it's too large for a MacBook Air, or any other equally thin device that will come along, from Apple or anyone else. Mini DisplayPort is better, and it's what DisplayPort should have been all along. It allows ANY company to make thinner computers, and it allows the MacBook Air to exist. How is that Apple "controlling a segment of the market"?
If companies don't WANT ultrathin computers to be possible, Apple's not forcing them to use the Mini port. But for the sake of better products and more options for all of us, let's hope many companies DO follow Apple's lead.
I wish they'd made the standard port smaller to begin with, but if they screwed up and didn't, I'm glad Apple came along to improve on it--and I'm glad Apple's not keeping the improvement to themselves.
As a standard, Apple won't be the only supplier of adapters. And as for a "needless problem," it's only needless if you think DVI is good enough forever, should never change, and you mourn the transition away from it. But it's NOT as good as DisplayPort. Other companies agree and used DisplayPort even before Apple did. And so we'll have a transition and you'll need adapters to make old and new products work together. That's how technology is--it's nothing new or terrible. Even if you DO pay $10 too much for an adapter (which nobody is forcing you to do). And if the problem that worries you is the loss of full-size DisplayPort... how many of us have legitimate reason to mourn that?
But that's not a MacBook Air.
Apple seemingly wants ONE connector for ALL their machines. Makes sense to me--and it makes sense for OTHER companies to do the same.
The industry almost got DisplayPort wrong. Apple has made it right--and they've done it very early on, giving consumers very little reason to complain. How many of us have an office full of full-size DisplayPort equipment that will now need "expensive" adapters? Not very many. Apple jumped in and offered the new standard early, and I'm glad they did.
Judging by this picture, it could fit into a MBA with very, very minor adjustments (and certainly none that would make the machine thicker overall).
Basically, if it can fit a USB port, it can fit a DP port. Heck, DP even carries USB, so it's probably not entirely unthinkable that a combo DP/USB port could be created, much like new Dell Latitudes have a combo USB/eSATA port.
The vast bulk of hardware will ship with regular Displayport. Mini-DP will be another ADC, that will rarely, if ever, be seen outside of Apple hardware or adapters to interface Apple hardware to standard hardware.
The rumor is that Apple has submitted mini-DisplayPort to VESA to be included in the next rev of the DisplayPort standard. Note that Apple's Mini DisplayPort Evaluation License terminates "upon publication by VESA of a standard complying with the Mini DisplayPort Connector Dimensions."
If that happens, then Apple will no longer control it. VESA will. That might ease the fears of any company who would otherwise think Apple plans to screw them on this. We'll see how it turns out.
mini-DisplayPort is indeed smaller than regular DisplayPort, for what it's worth. The signals are the same, with the same 20 pins (but in a different order). Regular DisplayPort has optional latching connectors which mini-DisplayPort apparently lacks, which is too bad. I can see (maybe) why Apple wouldn't want locking connectors on its laptops, but it could have been handy for desktops.
It will be nice when a more-complete suite (DVI, VGA, HDMI, DisplayPort, Component?, S-Video? etc.) of (cheaper) adaptors are available on Monoprice
Yes, we should expect these, I think. Also cable-length adapters (six-foot cable with miniDP connector on one end, DVI on the other, for example) which might be nice to have.
btw, I was the one who broke this story on Arstechnica's forums.
How is leaving out the latch on the miniDP "getting it right"? Yes it makes sense for notebooks, but please don't remove the latch on other devices. I don't want my cables falling out like it is far too easy for an HDMI cable to do. Leave Display Port (and VGA, and DVI, and any other locking connector) alone!
If it's true that Apple submitted Mini DP to VESA for inclusion i the next DP revision, we could see Mini DP being adopted more widely on netbooks and other small-form laptops that mostly use VGA. I hardly think Mini DP is another ADC.
It is a connector, after all. Nothing less and nothing more. And, where there is a connector, there will be adapters. Personally, I don't really care. Just like I don't care that my magsafe connector isn't interchangeable with my Dell I use at work. It just isn't a big deal to me. My Macbook won't plug directly into a monitor either without a dongle, but I have the dongle so no big deal.
It sounds like the free licensing is to encourage development of these adapters, but many of you think it is to force the standard on the industry in some way.
It sounds like the free licensing is to encourage development of these adapters, but many of you think it is to force the standard on the industry in some way.
Yesss
>Also cable-length adapters (six-foot cable with miniDP connector on one end,
>DVI on the other, for example) which might be nice to have.
this is THE reason why I haven't bought a AluBook yet! (that, and the missing kensington lock so far)
Bring it on, please! Belkin go!
>Also cable-length adapters (six-foot cable with miniDP connector on one end,
>DVI on the other, for example) which might be nice to have.
this is THE reason why I haven't bought a AluBook yet! (that, and the missing kensington lock so far)
Bring it on, please! Belkin go!
open spec or not, it was still entirely idiotic for Apple to create a new display(s) that don't have legacy connections... For god sakes, how hard is it to put a dual-link DVI port on it?? There are a ton of potential users, both Mac and PC, that would want to use the new display. Why would Apple want to limit the market to just new Mac laptop users???
Maybe Apple wants out of the adapter business. They might charge a lot for theirs, but no sell many of them.
I think they want PC users to buy their new displays, but they can't until someone make adapters or starts putting MDPs on their PCs.
I think they want PC users to buy their new displays, but they can't until someone make adapters or starts putting MDPs on their PCs.
But why would they ? Using Mini-DP - even a VESA approved one - would immediately exclude easy connectivity to the majority of existing hardware already out there with regular DP.
Again, there's no appreciable size advantage. A regular DP port is slightly wider, and slightly shorter than a USB port. Compared to Mini-DP, it is about 50% wider but with essentially the same vertical dimension.
In short, there's no incentive for anyone (except Apple) to use Micro-DP instead of DP, and several disincentives for doing so.