Apple Working on External Display With Built-In A13 Chip

[cult hero]

I’m no fan of a display with any sort of graphics processing built in—at least not 3D. If it’s for something internal to the monitor, cool. But monitors are, by far, my longest lived pieces of hardware.

Additionally, quality monitors pass down nicely too. I still have a Thunderbolt Display with my dad.

We’ll see I suppose. I’ve had a lot of issues with the LG 5Ks. The display is great but I’ve had multiple that needed repairs and a few years in the ghosting is bad in the heavily used ones. The webcam has been an issue on newer MacBooks too, which is weird.

I’d really like to see Apple make displays again but hopefully not screens that need to be replaced more often.

(It’s annoying that there are so few 5K options. Even years in the LG Ultrafine is still one of the best.)

 

[H. Flower]

Working on?

This should have been released 2 years ago with the new Mac Pro!!!!!

 

[blackcrayon]

please let this be optional, sounds overkill for most applications

If it's true I doubt it would be, never heard of an option for an Apple display other than size (or I guess the ill-received stand option ) I bet their cost would be more to make two displays than to make a single one with a low cost (to them) A13 in it.

 

[SRQrws]

Why a neural engine in a monitor? What advantage do you see in implementing this in the monitor?

Brain flip on my part. iMac was on the mind. Thanks for pointing it out.

 

[_Spinn_]

This would be absolutely crazy.

 

[AppliedMicro]

I think whatever the chip they use, it doesn't do anything about the performance. (...) So, A13 or newer one won't gonna work as a eGPU, they just want a chip to control a monitor's features and setting.

I wouldn't be surprised if AirPlay was one of these features.
Kind of similar to how Monterey will enable AirPlay-to-Mac.

I think Apple anticipates that customers will increasingly want to "connect" their iOS/iPad OS devices to bigger screens - and most don't want to be doing so though USB-C dongles/adapters and cable connections - but rather seamlessly wirelessly, as they demoed with Universal Control.

With an A13 chip, a display will be quite future-proof to refine and expand such features.

As an eGPU it won't - and frankly I don't think there's much of a market for eGPUs outside of hardcore (and vocal) eGPU fans such as the ones frequenting macrumors.com.

 

[chucker23n1]

There was nothing on the market that rivaled the 27" Thunderbolt display in terms of the total package: image, build quality, durability/reliability, power/thunderbolt connection, etc. Plus it has camera & speakers (which many of those bargain monitors do not). $1000 was (and still is) a bargain. Those $130 and $300 monitors are junk.

The Thunderbolt+MagSafe integration was neat (but really only useful in specific circumstances; for example, they never brought MagSafe to the Mac mini or iMac), but hardly worth that much money.

I'm not saying the $999 Thunderbolt Display was a bad monitor. But $999 is quite a stretch for its value.

And I don't object to Apple doing high-priced accessories. They do it all the time. What's unique here is that there are extremely few cheaper third-party alternatives for Retina-quality font rendering, which has become a more significant problem ever since they removed subpixel rendering around Mojave.

Imagine if you could only buy a full-speed Thunderbolt 3 hub from Apple, and everyone else offered a 30% slower hub (but for a quarter the price*). Or if Apple offered a 600 dpi laster printer, and others could only print at 150 dpi.

*) And that's counting the LG, which isn't even considered a particularly great display. If you don't count it, we're talking many, many times the price tag.

 

[Asbow]

I doubt it has to do with eGPU support, it has to do with scaling pref / bandwidth more likely. Think G-sync module, it is not required as it can be part of the HDMI 2.1 spec like VRR but g-sync module is still much smoother than freesync/VRR but most folks may not notice the difference.

I hope this display will include the Promotion tech. 6K at 120Hz or higher would be awesome.

Note that iMac 5k had to have a custom timing controller to support 5k. I suspect they're just using A13 to save money and resources.

Extra profit you mean.

 

[sunny5]

I wouldn't be surprised if AirPlay was one of these features.
Kind of similar to how Monterey will enable AirPlay-to-Mac.

I think Apple anticipates that customers will increasingly want to "connect" their iOS/iPad OS devices to bigger screens - and most don't want to be doing so though USB-C dongles/adapters and cable connections - but rather seamlessly wirelessly, as they demoed with Universal Control.

With an A13 chip, a display will be quite future-proof to refine and expand such features.

As an eGPU it won't - and frankly I don't think there's much of a market for eGPUs outside of hardcore (and vocal) eGPU fans such as the ones frequenting macrumors.com.

In order to use eGPU, the performance has to be at least M1X with 32 cores. Otherwise, it's meaningless so Im seeing this as controlling the monitor with A chip, nothing more.

 

[tpfang56]

It sucks that you can’t use (the majority of) iMacs as a display when they get outdated, so this would be the next best thing. Ideally they’d price match the LG Ultrafines, but wouldn’t be surprised if they’re a bit more expensive.

 

[Marx55]

Apple, just make a headless Mac and display for the rest of us. Total cost about 2,000 USD. Much as current 27-inch iMac, but headless Mac with separate display.

 

[trip1ex]

The egpu angle doesn't add up to me.

it sounds more like an appletv for the kitchen. or an iOS iMac.

but I guess maybe macbooks could need a gpu boost to run multiple displays at higher resolutions.

Actually maybe this could be for ios devices. The external monitor for the iphone or ipad.

 

[Mockletoy]

Apple, just make a headless Mac and display for the rest of us. Total cost about 2,000 USD. Much as current 27-inch iMac, but headless Mac with separate display.

You seem to be confused about how this relationship works. You don't tell Apple what you want, Apple tells you what you can have.

And then you smile and say thank you. 🤣

 

[trip1ex]

You seem to be confused about how this relationship works. You don't tell Apple what you want, Apple tells you what you can have.

And then you smile and say thank you. 🤣

nah Apple makes things they think you will want that you didn't know you want. And if you don't buy it then they try again. And if that doesn't work then they backtrack. And release the more faster better version of what you last bought.

Rinse and repeat.

 

[funwithstuff]

There is absolutely zero guarantee that the A13 would act as a GPU in this case, and it wouldn’t have enough grunt to shift the needle for a Mac’s GPU power in any case — we would want to double or triple what the M1 can do. I would strongly suspect an A13 would just manage the display.

 

[ItachiSBT]

I mean, really.

I just want the "display part" of the iMac, I really think I'm not the only one. It's impossibile to find a monitor with a decent resolution, a decent design and usb-c with a decent power output. Stuff that an imac can do, how difficult it can be to just cut all the pc stuff and sell it as a monitor?

 

[dahlblom]

Both of my CinemaDisplay monitors broke: The interface did not work after rebooting and I had to plug and unplug the cable to my MacMini about 20 times until the monitor worked again. Also connected to other computers the same damage pattern.
In both cases it was probably a defective capacitor on the circuit board.

Since these monitors are no longer available in working condition on EBAY (only defective), I suspect it was a design flaw of the board. Since Apple has discontinued this display series, almost all MacMini users will now probably use third-party monitors, even those who actually always found it pleasant to have had a fancy Apple monitor with camera and speakers. Presumably, the number of people who felt able to spend a few hundred dollars more to not buy an arbitrary monitor w/o camera and speakers was too small.

Sad to hear your experience with the ADC - been using a vintage one since a year back with no issues at all (using laptop). So far, it has been a breeze, and to add to the fact that it is roughly a decade old with sound/mic/camera better than most modern monitors baffles me. There´s seriously a market for Apple to tap into.

 

[coolfactor]

Regarding:

...it's possible that the release version of such a display would use an even more powerful chip than the A13 that was first introduced with the iPhone 11

It's possible that this is Apple's attempt at recycling reclaimed A13 chips as they recover parts from recycled phones. With the A13 already being very powerful in and of itself, to simply drive a display that's not battery-powered may be all that's needed.

 

[DevNull0]

but i really want an apple display that i can justify getting for myself.

I'm just curious why you feel that way. There are some truly fantastic displays from Viewsonic, NEC, and even Dell and other companies in the $800-$1500 range, and pretty good displays as low as $300. What does the Apple logo bring to the space?

Don't take this as anti-apple; enjoy their products. But why do you care so much for a product in.a space they clearly have no interest in being in when there are so many excellent products already available?

 

[Shon-e2e]

Could this possibly allow Universal Control with Monerey? Think of it - a completely wireless display that just works when you bring your Macbook next to it.

 

[shinkansenwarrior]

Apple, just make a headless Mac and display for the rest of us. Total cost about 2,000 USD. Much as current 27-inch iMac, but headless Mac with separate display.

Ahh the good old days.....sweet memories flashback to my blue G3 Mac and monitor set purchase ...I still have the monitor locked away !!!

 

[dzankizakon]

Just give us the new iMac as an external monitor. It can even look the same, just remove the computer inside. That's ALL Apple needs to do and I'll buy one instantly.

 

[shinkansenwarrior]

Pro Display XDR alternative from Asus takes on Apple - 9to5Mac

It's unlikely that too many pros with the budget to invest in the upcoming Mac Pro will be looking for an Apple Pro Display XDR alternative, but ...

9to5mac.com

Asus Pro Art 32 inch. mini LED monitor has refresh rate up to 120hz priced around 3,000 dollars but this is only 4K res. Eye sockets already beginning to bulge if Apple keep new consumer monitor to 200ppi + retina resolution at 5k.

The cost.....

 

[lilkwarrior]

Working on?

This should have been released 2 years ago with the new Mac Pro!!!!!

The Mac Pro released with the Pro Display XDR that is still unmatched by the market for a great deal of creative professionals it is for as far as LED monitors.

There hasn’t yet been a 32” with its sustained 1000nits other than the PA32UCG that is only at 4K resolution for a far lower PPI. Even the LG OLED pro at the same size is only at 4K.

 

[lilkwarrior]

I wouldn't be surprised if AirPlay was one of these features.
Kind of similar to how Monterey will enable AirPlay-to-Mac.

I think Apple anticipates that customers will increasingly want to "connect" their iOS/iPad OS devices to bigger screens - and most don't want to be doing so though USB-C dongles/adapters and cable connections - but rather seamlessly wirelessly, as they demoed with Universal Control.

With an A13 chip, a display will be quite future-proof to refine and expand such features.

As an eGPU it won't - and frankly I don't think there's much of a market for eGPUs outside of hardcore (and vocal) eGPU fans such as the ones frequenting macrumors.com.

Not sure who that monitor will be for because AirPlay latency & etc is ok but not great. Retina quality PPI like the Pro Display XDR wirelessly without meaningful latency is a “see it to believe it” thing to see happen.

Wifi6E bands may have a shot being something wireless VR headsets are looking into I guess.