- The ports on the monitor are plain USB-C. They aren't Thunderbolt 3. So no eGPU support from them.
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Apple Teams Up With LG for 4K and 5K Displays Designed for New MacBook Pro
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But will this or any other usb-c monitor work with the new Macbook Pro's? I'm buying the 15 inch and want a decent external monitor. Am I stuck with the 21.5" for now or can I use other monitors? Is it worth adapting the usb-c to displayport, for example?
- All USB-C monitors will work directly with the new MacBook Pros. All monitors no matter connection type, in fact, with the right cabling.
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 one into your own logistics operation when you can just collaborate with the 3rd 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 and just endorse it.
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Agreed. And it seems like Apple has confirmed they're out of the standalone display business.
Well to be fair Apple's displays were ridiculously overpriced, had a huge bezel and were thick and heavy. People often joked that you could get a whole iMac instead of the standalone display — and it would be better, newer, and thinner, and it would also have a computer in it as a bonus — for almost the same price.
But this then means that for those getting a Mac Mini or Mac Pro, they can no longer have an "all Apple" setup and must use 3rd party display. Which is totally fine but it's the first time this has happened. LG makes half of the displays for Apple anyway so it makes no real difference whether it's branded "Apple" or "LG".
But this then means that for those getting a Mac Mini or Mac Pro, they can no longer have an "all Apple" setup and must use 3rd party display. Which is totally fine but it's the first time this has happened. LG makes half of the displays for Apple anyway so it makes no real difference whether it's branded "Apple" or "LG".
Great design is NOT about fashion statements. Great design is about beautiful lines, pleasing patterns seen in nature, harmony. That LG monitor is truly ridiculous. It encapsulates everything that's wrong with the world. If you don't see it then I feel sorry for you.
I guess we now know who, if Apple decides to make a TV, will be supplying the panels. This seems like a test to see how the two companies can work together. I wouldn't mind an LG TV with AppleTV built in.
You are just rambling with new age nonsense now. It is a rectangular shaped computer monitor... period.
Actually it appears the other way around to me.
There's not a lot of "stuff" that's USB-C yet and there probably won't be for a little while. Except for data transfer of large files (and of course, the fact that it's reversible); there's not a tremendous advantage to the blazing speeds of USB 3.1 and TB3, over the speeds of USB 3.0.
Even Apple recommends you connect fast external storage directly to the MacBook Pro so that you can take advantage of the full speed of USB-C, without bandwidth being hogged by the display. So, folks aren't going to be connecting large storage array's directly to the display. They can, of course. But best performance comes from not doing so.
So that begs the question; what is actually going to be plugged into the display? Slower storage mediums or storage mediums where a lot of speed isn't really necessary (like an SD card reader; which can't saturate USB 3.0; much less USB 3.1 or TB3), things like USB powered mice and keyboards, game controllers, smartphones and tablets, USB headsets, peripherals like DJ or photo/video editing "controllers" (for lack of a better term; USB boxes with buttons and dials on them essentially). Much of this will be already owned by folks and even if you buy it right now today; it's almost certainly USB type A (generally USB 2.0 or 3.0).
So while the USB-C connector to connect it to the MacBook Pro makes perfect sense; the 21.5" model which only supports USB 2.0 transfer speeds having USB-C connectors doesn't make much sense. Because nobody is going to plug in blazing fast USB C stuff. And even on the 27", the fastest storage is going to be direct to the MBP.
It's not unprecedented...
Fair enough! And, well, I'll admit maybe "never say never", I just really don't think so.
Especially because Apple used to sell these products. Apple used to make Printers and Scanners (really good ones at that); when Steve Jobs returned to Apple he axed all of the extra accessories and things in favor of focusing on the Mac and other consumer devices (namely, the iPod). In the Apple Stores, you could buy printers and scanners from other companies; and Apple has never gone back to producing those products. Granted; few people USE those products anymore anyway.
Point being; while they've pitched another companies product and then produced their own version later; I'm not aware of them selling a product, canceling it, pitching an alternative from a former competitor, and then later returning to the market.
Apple uses LG panels in the 5K iMac and I believe other Mac products as well as the original Thunderbolt and Cinema displays so they have a long partnership already.
Apple uses LG panels in the 5K iMac and I believe other Mac products as well as the original Thunderbolt and Cinema displays so they have a long partnership already.
Yep. Apple buys LG displays, Apple decides it's not worth it to sell Displays, anymore, Apple says "Hey LG; will you make something with the display you designed for it built in; and include USB-C?", then Apple says "Here, buy this" as quickly as possible and moves on to the next point. (They really glossed over the LG displays in the keynote).
Ugly as sin.
One can dream that Apple doesn't care because they are not REALLY out of the display business, but alas, this is Tim Cooke's Apple. Not enough money to be made, partner and not really care what the experience is like.
The pro market, which cares about environment, is clearly not Apple's focus, and hasn't been for some time.
One can dream that Apple doesn't care because they are not REALLY out of the display business, but alas, this is Tim Cooke's Apple. Not enough money to be made, partner and not really care what the experience is like.
The pro market, which cares about environment, is clearly not Apple's focus, and hasn't been for some time.
Apple has had a lot of competition in this space and the displays haven't been a hot seller. The "pro market" that everyone says Apple doesn't care about (I don't know WHAT Apple does or doesn't care about), isn't buying the displays; so partnering seems to make sense. They need the display technology for the iMac; but selling their own hasn't been super successful.
I'm disappointed too. I'm typing this looking at a gorgeous Apple Cinema Display (1440p) that'll now soon be replaced by a 4k Display, likely from Samsung or Dell. I guess I'm just not jumping on the "sky is falling and Tim Cook tells his wife how much he hates pro users every night before he goes to bed" bandwagon. Maybe just because I'm so weary of hearing this schtick for the last decade or more. But, the fact is, folks are buying their competitors displays anyway. For every "Apple hates pro customers because they don't make a display" today; would simply be "Apple should've spent some of the money they spent making a thinner display on making a better MacBook Pro" if they'd announced a display last week.
Maybe I'm just cynical (I'll freely admit that!). I guess I've just gotten to the point where I'm just not that emotionally invested in whether or not Apple cares about me and what I need. If they sell the product I want I'll buy it, if not, someone else will. We've come a LONG way from when your choices were a twice-as-fast gorgeous Apple computer or a beige Wintel tower. Apple's competitors have finally woken up and are doing some excellent stuff. As a consumer, I've got a lot of options.
No HDMI port?
I'm not sure why LG would have to follow Apple's daft practice of only supporting 1 connection to 1 of their computers. Part of the nice thing about an external display (say, as opposed to an iMac) is the ability to plug in other devices, like a PS4, Xbox, or a PC.
Just because it's made for a MacBook Pro doesn't mean it has to be limited to being used by a MacBook Pro. Sheesh. (It was looking nice until I noticed that!)
I'm not sure why LG would have to follow Apple's daft practice of only supporting 1 connection to 1 of their computers. Part of the nice thing about an external display (say, as opposed to an iMac) is the ability to plug in other devices, like a PS4, Xbox, or a PC.
Just because it's made for a MacBook Pro doesn't mean it has to be limited to being used by a MacBook Pro. Sheesh. (It was looking nice until I noticed that!)
Yep. The Thunderbolt display worked over miniDP which is easy to adapt to from anything and most high-end PC graphics card had it built in anyway.
However, USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 IS an industry standard. It's a step UP from when Apple used their own proprietary video connector for displays that wasn't compatible with anything else. Any Thunderbolt 3 equipped windows PC should work.
Since the Thunderbolt display would revert to a DisplayPort display (losing the support of the ports on the back, but the display would still work); I wonder if this USB-C display will allow the use of USB-C adapters to connect video-only to other display connectors.
I guess I could see how it might work with a PC with the right hardware... and I hope it does become a standard. I guess I was thinking more about other HDMI devices like PS4, Xbox, DVR, etc. I suppose some kind of adapter? But, could such devices be daisy-chained so that it doesn't require switch boxes or messing with cables? It just seems odd it doesn't have a couple of more ports.