What existing hardware? DisplayPort is so rarely used these days it might as well not even have existed before Apple grabbed it up. I've never seen a piece of mainstream equipment of any type with DisplayPort on it (though I've heard rumors).
Most of the current "professional business" laptops from Dell (eg: Latitude E series), HP and IBM/Lenovo have Displayport, either built-in or on the docking station[0].
Dell have been selling Displayport-equipped monitors since the start of the year. Most of their high-end screens (24", 30") have it. Some other vendors (eg: Samsung) since last year.
The are several video cards already on the market with DisplayPort connectors.
As usual, Apple is late to the party but loudly trying to tell everyone they were really there first, just waiting around the back.
As an earlier poster mentioned, this is the perfect time, before there is a "majority of existing hardware already out there with regular DP." There isn't hardware already out there that's going to be an issue.
Of the hardware out there that already supports Displayport, the only models that have Mini-DP are three Apple laptops and a single high-end display. Ie: a minority.
Why would any screen vendor use Mini-DP when the only people who would potentially buy it are notoriously fickle Apple customers ?
Why would any video card vendor use Mini-DP when the only screens (sorry, the only
screen)their card would be able to easily connect to is an expensive Apple one ? Similarly for laptop vendors.
Like I said. There are zero incentives for anyone except Apple to use Mini-DP and some quite tangible disincentives to doing so. This is true regardless of whether it's a VESA standard, or something Apple holds the rights to (the latter is just one more disincentive).
[0] Which brings up another gripe. Why the hell can't Apple make a docking station for their laptops like ever other serious vendor does ? Why do they bother with half-arsed, clumsy "solutions" like the octopus cable on the new LED 24" display ?
