Apple Teams Up With LG for 4K and 5K Displays Designed for New MacBook Pro

[el-John-o]

- No, it didn't...

My bad. A couple years ago I had considered adding one as a second display but wanted to know if it would work on my PC. I found a handful of forum posts that said it did and that people had gotten it working over miniDP. Just without the ports. But I did a little searching now (I ended up not buying it) and apparently that's not the case. Whoops!

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.

I have no idea whether it'll work at all. But thunderbolt can work in two directions (For example, you can actually get an adapter and plug a Thunderbolt 3 device into a Thunderbolt 1 or 2 port; of course, at reduced speeds and capability. It can be reversed.) and DisplayPort can be carried over a thunderbolt/USB-C connection. So it's technically feasible, I think, that an HDMI to USB-C dongle could be connected to the back of the display and then an HDMI system connected to it. Or DisplayPort.

But I have no idea whether the LG display could support that. I just think that's technically possible with the USB-C / Thunderbolt 3 standard.

If I had to guess? I'd say, probably not.

It is a standard. It's not on game consoles or TV's like HDMI, but USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 is an existing standard. And it's already on a handful of devices. I can't see any reason you couldn't plug, say, a Dell XPS 15 into it. This is not a proprietary Apple connection.

 

[fred_garvin]

So for $1499 + $1299 , or $2798, you can run the base model 13" device with a 5K monitor.

A better option might be $1499 + $1799, or $3298, you could get a base model MacBook and a whole separate iMac which is a lot more powerful than the MacBook, lol.

The current 5k iMac does not support target display mode, so it can't be used as an external monitor. I am really hoping that the 2017, Kaby Lake iMac will restore this function.

 

[SteveW928]

So it's technically feasible, I think, that an HDMI to USB-C dongle could be connected to the back of the display and then an HDMI system connected to it. Or DisplayPort.

...

It is a standard. It's not on game consoles or TV's like HDMI, but USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 is an existing standard. And it's already on a handful of devices. I can't see any reason you couldn't plug, say, a Dell XPS 15 into it. This is not a proprietary Apple connection.

Yes, I'd guess it might be technically feasible to get HDMI into it somehow. The problem with a PS4 or Xbox (or some other devices) might be HDCP support. And, then I'm not sure about multiple systems running into it. I'm just surprised LG would build a monitor so limited/oriented towards Apple. It seems like the kind of thing Apple would make.

 

[macduke]

The current 5k iMac does not support target display mode, so it can't be used as an external monitor. I am really hoping that the 2017, Kaby Lake iMac will restore this function.

That would be nice, but you don't really need it when you have a whole separate computer running behind it. Just setup iCloud or Dropbox syncing and run with it! Or use external drives, maybe with an AEB.

 

[SteveW928]

That would be nice, but you don't really need it when you have a whole separate computer running behind it. Just setup iCloud or Dropbox syncing and run with it! Or use external drives, maybe with an AEB.

People generally don't want a bunch of single-use dedicated displays on their desk though. If I put a nice high-end display on my desk, I want to plug all my devices into it. An iMac is nice (w/o input option) for a single-computer use situation. Otherwise, it can be a burden.

 

[MacRumoren]

I have a late-2015 iMac 5k, I guess there's no chance Apple will build a compatible TB2 to USB-C adaptor so I can use the new LG as an external monitor?

 

[JTToft]

I have a late-2015 iMac 5k, I guess there's no chance Apple will build a compatible TB2 to USB-C adaptor so I can use the new LG as an external monitor?

- They already have. But you won't be able to do above 4K with Thunderbolt 2.

http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MMEL2AM/A/thunderbolt-3-usb-c-to-thunderbolt-2-adapter

 

[MacRumoren]

- They already have. But you won't be able to do above 4K with Thunderbolt 2.

http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MMEL2AM/A/thunderbolt-3-usb-c-to-thunderbolt-2-adapter

Oh crap. I think Dell has an adapter to connect two TB2 ports to drive its 5k monitor. I wonder if the same hack is possible with the iMac?

But Dell has 2 DP ports though, and the new LG has only one single USB-C cable.

Sigh.. I can't believe that my iMac is less than a year old and it's already outdated. Apple just doesn't seem to care about backward compatibility.

 

[CWallace]

Sigh.. I can't believe that my iMac is less than a year old and it's already outdated. Apple just doesn't seem to care about backward compatibility.

The limitation is Intel's, not Apple's: TB2 ports can only support a single DP 1.2 stream whereas TB3 ports can support two.

And as you noted, the Dell and other 5K displays with two DP 1.2 ports can be driven by a 5K iMac's two TB2 ports.

 

[mgauss77]

In the exploded view of the iPhone 7 I see it has 5 main parts and another small 5 or 10 parts, less than 30 parts to assemble. That could be assembled in USA, giving jobs to Americans.