Apple Says It's Out of the Standalone Display Business

[Cosmosent]

Just checked the specs for the two LG Ultrafine Displays on the Apple website:

1.) the 21.5" 4K display ONLY supports 8-bit color <-- thought I had come across something earlier that specified 10-bit color support for this, but the Apple website says otherwise !

2.) the 27" 5K display does in-deed support 10-bit color.

10-bit (Display P3) wide color will be THE NEXT BIG THING in just 1-2 months, so the 21.5" display should be considered already outdated !

Apple is definitely slow on the draw, wrt Wide Color !

First they pass off the Wide Color "promo" to some dude from Instagram on Sept 7th (which was a total flop), and now their wide color display partner is delivering something that would have been fine for late-2015, but certainly NOT for late-2016 !

For those of you who don't know, 10-bit Wide Color is doable with all of the following mobile devices:

* iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, as well as the 9.7" iPad Pro
* iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, as well as the 4" iPhone SE

The 6s, 6s Plus and SE require a different camera capture pipeline than the other three.

And its just a matter of time before it becomes mainstream with all six of those devices !

Specifically, you'll be capturing photos in 10-bit wide color, and distributing them in 10-bit wide color ... the quality of display will be dependent-upon which particular device you're using, and is simply where the OS color mgmt comes in (new with iOS as of 9.3).

Exciting times ahead for those who care about HIGH and WIDE color !

 

[DexBell]

Who cares if it says LG or has an Apple logo on it? The LG display looks pretty damn good. I own all LG TVs in my home and will never own another brand again. Ive had Samsung, Toshiba, Sharp, Vizio and Sony, the LG beats them all IMO.

 

[MarsViolet]

And there you go. It's the right move. It makes perfect sense as I outlined here:

It really doesn't make any sense for them to have their own. Apple uses 3rd party displays internally, like LGs, in their own monitors anyway; so why go through the hassle of incorporating a monitor into your own logistics operation when you can just collaborate with the 3rd party you're sourcing the actual display from. Plus the 3rd party has their own massive manufacturing line for it so it's a no-brainer. On top of that it's not a big money maker so it's just leeching valuable resources like support, storage, etc. Better to offset all that onto the 3rd party, give input on specs, and just endorse it.

Using this same logic one may as well conclude that Apple should get out of the hardware business entirely.

 

[jopamo]

Guess it's a good thing I've been hanging onto my 24" LED ACD all these years. I was happy to pay $900 for this. I wouldn't pay that much for LG anything.

Hate to pee in your Cheerios, @puma1552... but you did buy LG something when you bought that shiny 24" LED ACD...
LG LM240WU6-SDA-1

That's what you are staring at every time you fire up the bad boy.

UPDATE: Oh noes! FML! LG is EVERYWHERE! T_T
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Using this same logic one may as well conclude that Apple should get out of the hardware business entirely.

Not the same logic at all, @MarsViolet . A display panel is but one small piece of a large puzzle that is a smart phone, a tablet, a laptop, or even an all-in-one desktop. A monitor is only just that. A monitor. It's pretty much ALL panel.

If Apple can cut the fat while still maintaining a quality accessory product while enriching a supplier/hardware partner relationship--then so be it. I'm looking at the panel, not the freaking bezel and stand when I'm doing my work. I've owned a 23", a 30", a 24" and a 27." So while you might start accuse me of drinking ACD Hateorade, you couldn't be farther off...

 

[puma1552]

Hate to pee in your Cheerios, @puma1552... but you did buy LG something when you bought that shiny 24" LED ACD...
LG LM240WU6-SDA-1

That's what you are staring at every time you fire up the bad boy.

i know apple gets all of their panels from samsung and lg. i still dont want an incongruent non apple branded product for a monitor though.

 

[jopamo]

i know apple gets all of their panels from samsung and lg. i still dont want an incongruent non apple branded product for a monitor though.

You'll get over it. I believe in you.

 

[Osnabrueck]

i know apple gets all of their panels from samsung and lg. i still dont want an incongruent non apple branded product for a monitor though.

This is what gets me. Steve understood the importance of the experience to brand value — Part of buying an overpriced Apple monitor was that you got something that was integrated into the Apple experience. There was an added value to having a piece of beautiful industrial design next to your Apple desktop or Laptop. Similar to TVs in the living room, the PC Monitor is a sitting advertisement for the brand.

I'm sure this isn't lost on Apple, so this worries me. The signal is that Apple is winding down its desktop hardware business.

I make a living using Apple and Adobe products. My career has been built around their software and I work in an intense corner of the creative business that demands tons from my hardware and myself. Watching Apple de-prioritize Pro hardware has been sad and annoying. Wouldn't be surprised if I'm working on an all-Hackintosh setup 3 years from now.

 

[Digital Dude]

This is very sad indeed. Just more confirmation that Apple is not only watering down their current product line but they're beginning to outsource their core products where they used to excel. Okay I admit it, I have aftermarket displays but there for very specific purposes and costs three or four times more than an apple version. It's just that the direction that Apple is headed appears bleak.

I keep thinking of the Microsoft commercial and some other new products. Microsoft definitely has the edge on AI with Google in second place.

 

[amegicfox]

Apple, to be fare to their customers should now:

Cancel the production of the outdated and overpriced mac pro and mac mini so we can move on and finally start buying PCs and Intel NUC skull Canyons and run windows and/or linux.

like fouls we have been waiting 4 years for better models. THEY WILL NEVER COME.

it's time to run OS X on PC hardware or windows or ubuntu linux

Tim Crook can't be trusted

 

[bmacir]

R. I. P. ACD

 

[MH01]

Anyone using a Mac to earn their living will disagree with you there. So thats pretty much all record producers and engineers and according to last week, a large chunk of IBM!

Large chunk of IBM.....these are not pro users .

Don't confuse a "work" laptop to a "pro" laptop.

 

[redheeler]

Apple's displays, while pricey, have always looked nice and had very good quality panels to justify the initial cost. I always look for matching Apple displays for my older Macs over cheaper 3rd-party ones, and they compliment them very well.

Apple stepping out of the display business is also indicative of a death sentence for the Mac Pro and Mac mini. What a terrible time to be an Apple Mac enthusiast, so much neglect.

 

[9081094]

This just in...
Apple is out of the Mac Pro business.

I've got news for you:
Apple is out of the electronic business. Interior design and finance is their goal for 2017.

 

[Ploki]

Large chunk of IBM.....these are not pro users .

Don't confuse a "work" laptop to a "pro" laptop.

Don't confuse a "pro" laptop to a "internet-warrior-thinks-is-pro" laptop

 

[pat500000]

Can we make the new "where is the new MacBook pro" post this one please? Tim really needs to watch it.

Yup. These marketing people are cancers. Steve was very very very knowledgeable. This is where Apple is heading now...but I gotta wonder....why Tim? He's a COO type of guy. He knows how to make money...but why him though? Why not someone else? Thanks for the video.

 

[Michael Joseph]

The LG display looks ****, doesn't suit or match any Apple style or character....... so bad Apple stop making it own display. Put the LG display next to Mac Pro, it will make Mac Pro like ****......

Alongside the new MacBook Pro, Apple introduced a 27-inch 5K UltraFine Display made in partnership with LG, calling into question future plans for an Apple-branded display product.

While rumors have suggested Apple is working on a Thunderbolt Display replacement powered by an integrated GPU, Apple's LG partnership seems to indicate that Apple may have shelved plans to build a new display, something that's been confirmed by The Verge's Nilay Patel. According to Patel, Apple told him it is out of the standalone display business.

​

The last rumors about an Apple-branded display came in June of 2016 from BuzzFeed's John Paczkowski, a reliable source, so if Apple has ceased work on its own display product, it's a decision that may have been made rather recently.

In lieu of its own display, Apple is selling the aforementioned 5K display product from LG and a second LG-branded 4K display, both of which have been designed with input from Apple and optimized for Apple products. As pointed out by Jason Snell of Six Colors, the brightness and settings of the LG display can be adjusted from the Mac, suggesting a deeper level of hardware integration than you'd get with a standard 5K display.

Priced at $1,299.95, the 5K LG UltraFine display uses multi-stream transport and connects to the new MacBook Pro using a single Thunderbolt 3 cable. Because it requires Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, it's only compatible with the MacBook Pro (and any future Macs equipped with Thunderbolt 3).

LG's 21.5-inch 4K UltraFine display is more affordable at $699.95, and because it doesn't require Thunderbolt 3, it's compatible with any USB-C Mac, including the new MacBook Pro and the less powerful MacBook.

Both displays offer charging capabilities, support for wide color gamut, built-in stereo speakers, and include additional ports on the back for connecting accessories. The larger 5K display also includes a camera and a microphone, offering all of the features that might have been included in an Apple-designed display.

Article Link: Apple Says It's Out of the Standalone Display Business

 

[the8thark]

Can the iMac be used as in target display mode?

 

[Frosties]

Can the iMac be used as in target display mode?

Nope!

 

[amegicfox]

I've got news for you:
Apple is out of the electronic business. Interior design and finance is their goal for 2017.

amazing and accurate statement.

 

[pratikindia]

At least they could have gone with a nicer design for the monitor. This is ugly.

 

[MacBH928]

Currently, I am starting to believe Tim is keeping their computer business around just to make apps for iPhones and Watch (and to design bands!).

 

[Phoenixx]

The iMac isn't a laptop.

True, it's an all in one made largely out of LAPTOP parts.
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For a lot of you saying, whats the big deal, its only a display, you are completely missing the point. This is not about a monitor, its about the change in Apple's core values. Apple's core values were about making great products at the intersection of technology and liberal arts.

The Apple I know, would not say they "helped" LG with creating a plastic monitor. I would love to see Ive making one of his videos on this but substituting the words aluminium with the words carefully moulded black plastic. This has all to do with LG giving Apple the biggest bucks to promote their product and has nothing to do with Apple's core value of making great products or what this does to their reputation.

Are Monitors and Mac Pro's huge money makers. Absolutely not. But they are an important part of what makes Apple. Sometimes you have to take a loss on some products to maintain your image and make money on the other side of things. Monitors and the Apple Lit logo's (they took that away too) are free advertising to the company. How many times do you walk into an office, watch a press conference or tv show and see all those apple logos. This gives them mind share. Now, when you walk into an office, instead of seeing that Apple logo, LG will get that advertising instead. Huge loss for them.

The Mac Pro is over a thousand days old, The new Macbook Pro maxes out at 16GB. These systems are a huge embarrassment and a slap in the face to the pro community. this did not happen over night but the decision making the last couple of years has slowly turned us pro's from evangelizing Apple and trying to get people to switch to Macs and iPads and iPhones into a hate fest where we say you should stay away because we are switching away too.

Apple needs to go in some serious damage control. The loyal users and pro's have lost trust. They need to come clean of their plans for the pro market, and I mean like now. People are in an uproar and leaving the Apple ecosystem in droves. Unfortunately Tim and company are too blind to see this so I have little hope.

And half the problem is that those who are annoyed are posting pointless messages on forums, websites and social media, rather than actually doing what would count and writing to Apple. I wonder what would happen if Apple suddenly started finding their mailboxes and email addresses flooded with millions of letters from annoyed users.

For those who wish to do this, Apple's address is:

Apple
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino, CA 95014
USA
​

Write to them, and let them get so many letters of complaint that they simply cannot ignore the issues.

 

[Rmonster]

Are Monitors and Mac Pro's huge money makers. Absolutely not. But they are an important part of what makes Apple. Sometimes you have to take a loss on some products to maintain your image and make money on the other side of things.
.

I agree with your whole post and this statement in particular. Thank you for articulating what I was too tired to compose myself.

Apple currently enjoys the custom of a large "pro" market and a huge consumer market but risks alienating a certain proportion of both. I enjoy my iPhone, my iMac, my ATV4, my Airport Extreme does the job I need it to, I have the iPad Pro, both my daughters have MacBook Pros from a few years ago, they both now have iPhones and iPad Pros, one has the watch.

I'm certainly in the consumer market, my two daughters run rings round me in anything creative, but I have enjoyed using pretty much the whole Apple line of products and they have had many thousands from me and, of course, from millions of others over the years.

I'm confident in saying that the whole "ecosystem" is a strong driver in maintaining business from repeat customers who make multiple line purchases. I'm sure that there are a huge number of customers who perhaps only purchase from the iPhone range but if Apple don't maintain the wider range of products which is the foundation of the whole "ecosystem" then they may gradually start to slide back and sometimes decline is difficult to halt.

You are absolutely right - large businesses often have to have loss leaders to maintain the overall health, image and profitability of the wider business.

 

[spiritlevel]

This is by far the most disappointing and bewildering news in a week of bad news from Apple. imo this is the biggest indicator that Apple really has seriously lost its way.

Apple designed monitors are not about the monitor business, they are about the ecosystem business. The Apple ecosystem has, for the last 20 years (since the blue and white Powermac G3 replaced beige bricks) been all about combining functionality with design in both software and hardware. Computers, monitors, tablets and phones which work well AND look good. That has been Apple's unique strength - no other company has managed to pull it off.

If you are in the design business (whether that is graphic, web, motion, product, building, fashion... whatever) then you want the tools you use every day to reflect your appreciation for well designed things. And you want your office to look cool when clients come over. You are in the visuals business so visuals are important. Apple understood this and have always offered computers that not only are the best to use, but look the best too.

Now it appears Apple is telling us we should be pairing our new space-grey MacBook pros with pig-ugly LG monitors. This should set alarm bells ringing. It means Apple has forgotten something really important. Designers (in the broadest sense) don't want to sit in front of ugly monitors all day. And they don't want their clients seeing those ugly monitors on their desks. And if they can't buy a cool looking well designed monitor from Apple anymore, they are going to start looking elsewhere, and perhaps not just for the monitor, but for the computer as well.

And what will they see when they start looking elsewhere? The MS Studio. That thing looks AWESOME. I've been with Apple for over 20 years, my first Mac was a Powermac 7200. Apple have always had the best hardware and the best software and my decision to buy Apple has always been a no-brainer.

But make no mistake - in terms of a hardware vision for the future, that MS Studio blows everything in Apple's lineup out of the water. In one fell swoop, Microsoft is suddenly winning the hardware battle by YEARS (given Mac OS in not touch enabled, and Apple's position that it would not be very useful to make it so - whether they are actually working on that or not who knows...)

The ONLY issue with the Studio (and the only thing stopping a lot of creatives switching pretty much immediately) is that it runs Winblows. We all love OS X so much and luckily for Apple OS X is very sticky because right now, OS X is the only advantage Apple has. If Microsoft can sort out the software in anything like the same fashion that they have done with the hardware, then Apple is in serious trouble.

If Apple had released something like the Studio - a gorgeous 1 cm thin 28" touch screen with tiny bevels that could be lowered down to act like a draughting table and supported the Apple Pencil... well, can you imagine? the design community would go absolutely mad for it and this forum would be full of gushing praise and Tim would be being hailed as a worthy successor to Steve.

As it is... Things are not looking good.

 

[richinaus]

This is what gets me. Steve understood the importance of the experience to brand value — Part of buying an overpriced Apple monitor was that you got something that was integrated into the Apple experience. There was an added value to having a piece of beautiful industrial design next to your Apple desktop or Laptop. Similar to TVs in the living room, the PC Monitor is a sitting advertisement for the brand.

I'm sure this isn't lost on Apple, so this worries me. The signal is that Apple is winding down its desktop hardware business.

I make a living using Apple and Adobe products. My career has been built around their software and I work in an intense corner of the creative business that demands tons from my hardware and myself. Watching Apple de-prioritize Pro hardware has been sad and annoying. Wouldn't be surprised if I'm working on an all-Hackintosh setup 3 years from now.

This reflects my feelings too and I really don't know what to make of it all. Although I tend to agree most that this signals the end of the pro desktop business for Apple. I want a singular Apple experience on my desk and the monitor design is very important to me.