People sometimes lose track of the difference between "planned and cancelled" vs "never actually planned after making some prototypes".
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Apple's Rumored 27-Inch Display With ProMotion No Longer Planned 'For Now'
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Told you guys almost a year ago that Ross Young was off-base with this rumor. I dunno why MR gives him any credibility.
A quality Thunderbolt 4 or USB4 external drive enclosure could last you through successive computers (and make moving your content easier), whereas internal storage is tied to the computer itself; you have to re-buy it every time. For a laptop it makes sense to maximize internal storage since it's designed to be portable. For a desktop it makes less sense unless you're absolutely crazy about having as minimalistic a workplace as possible. The external drive won't be as fast as internal storage but it will still be leagues faster than the internal storage of the 2015 iMac it's replacing.
IMO, there were too many reports and leaks to believe this was just an "R&D exercise".
While I am of the opinion that a 27" iMac (Pro) with a 5K ProMotion Mini-LED display was never in the cards, I will admit it was the most-likely product considering the issues with driving an external monitor with the limitations of TB3/TB4 and HDMI 2.0 that was present on most Macs other than the 2019 Mac Pro.
So it is possible Apple was working on a 27" iMac Pro with this panel and decided it was no longer appropriate so this panel product has been shelved, perhaps permanently, or perhaps until more Macs with HDMI 2.1 are in general use or TB5 arrives on Macs.
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As a current 27" studio display owner, given the choice of buying a new studio display 27" with ProMotion vs a 32" w/out ProMotion - I would choose to buy the 32" no question. For a desktop, there's just not much value in ProMotion over screen size for me.
And I was hoping to replace my 27" Thunderbolt Display with this. Oh well. Back to the drawing board, Apple!
Not surprised, this never really made any sense in the lineup as a third display tier. In related news....has anyone heard anything about the Samsung Viewfinity S9? Is that still happening or what?
I just want to say that I absolutely love my nano ASD. I just with it had a 32" big brother.
This is the thing with the ASD. It doesn't easily compare with market alternatives. The LG 5K is nice, but build quality and Apple integration features are missing. Are there other 27" 5K displays available yet?
I have the ASD and it's expensive but worth every penny. As oxymoronic as that may sound to some, the value is in the intangible way that it just integrates with my setup. It's well calibrated right out of the box and feels like a natural extension to my MBP.
I was in agreement with Jason Snell that if this had shipped, it would likely have shipped as a 27" Pro Display XDR (to compliment the rumored 32" Pro Display XDR refresh).
I presume it is still happening as this is the model I am waiting for to buy once it does.
Samsung announced a Viewfinity S9 27" 5K display at CES in January, but did not give much on specs or a release date. Dell also announced a 32" 6K display at CES, as well.
As many have mentioned, the problem that seems to be afflicting 27" or higher monitor product Apple is interested in producing (standalone displays, iMacs, etc) is cost. The current Studio Display costs too much money at $1,599 already - enhanced 27" displays will cost even more money, unless Apple can cut production costs across the board.
The appropriate price is $999 like the old Cinema Display with discounts through Amazon at $899 and thats still expensive.
Reviewers hate the Studio Display and I understand and agree with all of their quibbles. The price, black levels, and lack of HDR are disappointing, but I am
Quite happy with mine. This canceled monitor would have definitely addressed most of the complaints, but I can only imagine the price would be at least $1K more than the Studio Display.
Studio Display includes a 5K display, USB-C Hub, excellent speakers, and a passable webcam (with a better positioning than a MBP) along with good mics. It also fully integrates into macOS including sound and brightness controls and very good automatic brightness adjustment and True Tone.
New 5K displays are coming from other vendors this year, but I’d be surprised if they check many of the other boxes.
It’s far from perfect and it’s overpriced, but it’s also a damn good monitor. And given that it’s an Apple product, you could probably resell it for most of its value after 1-2 years of usage, unlike most other monitors.
Quite happy with mine. This canceled monitor would have definitely addressed most of the complaints, but I can only imagine the price would be at least $1K more than the Studio Display.
Studio Display includes a 5K display, USB-C Hub, excellent speakers, and a passable webcam (with a better positioning than a MBP) along with good mics. It also fully integrates into macOS including sound and brightness controls and very good automatic brightness adjustment and True Tone.
New 5K displays are coming from other vendors this year, but I’d be surprised if they check many of the other boxes.
It’s far from perfect and it’s overpriced, but it’s also a damn good monitor. And given that it’s an Apple product, you could probably resell it for most of its value after 1-2 years of usage, unlike most other monitors.
Please post some links to quality 5K displays in a normal display ratio that cost less. Do they exist? I'd be very happy to find one if so.
You forget that inflation exists. That $999 price point was from 2010 when it came out. That's close to $1400 today. So, it's actually pretty close to "the appropriate price" by that metric.
Reasons Unclear = Current ProDisplay sales are essentially showing product DOA with collapsing projections, so no need to waste talent and engineering on a flooded market Apple will make zero share of.
What I don’t understand is why Apple didn’t just make a simple display based on the iMac’s display. Something that doesn’t break any boundaries nor introduce new technologies, just a solid & basic Apple display that will be better than any other budget display on the market. USC-C, just 2 speakers, iSight and that’s it. A $699 price point or similar price to a base or mid spec Mac Mini. Will be within reach of Mac Mini or MacBook buyers.
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Yeah, it's been a LONG time since buying an Apple branded display made any good financial sense. They had some truly nice Cinema displays back in the day, but even then - the high prices made the purchases questionable unless you just had to have coordinated items on your desk, all with Apple logos.
It's sad because I hoped maybe Apple would offer something competitive here. But guess not. I'm back to just running displays from vendors like Samsung. It's much like you have to use other brands for your wireless networking, these days.
Id give you $999. A "good" all plastic 4K screen, like Ultrasharp, proart or benq are $6-7-9-1K. So the overbuilt ASD 5K in the high end $ of that.
Exactly. Returned the ASD after 1 day because my old monitor had better black level. Would have bought the better version in an instant.
I understand why people can't wrap their head around why a base 2020 iMac 5K cost only $200 more than an Apple Studio Display when both have effectively the same panel and the iMac "was also a full computer", but I expect the iMac chassis was significantly cheaper (since it's been amortized over a decade of production) and Apple used an ancient Intel CPU plus commodity RAM and a spinning HDD, all of which could very well have cost Apple less than $200 at wholesale pricing.
I don't doubt for a moment Apple went higher than they needed to for their usual ~35% margin, but despite this forum's assertions, there was strong demand for an Apple-branded 5K display with better build quality than the LG UltraFine (which itself retailed for $1300).
But the belief that one should be able to buy an all-aluminum bespoke 5K display for the same price as an all-plastic commodity 4K or UHD display is one that I can't wrap my head around. I fully expect to be paying ~$1200 for the Samsung Viewfinity 5K display when they finally ship the thing and the only reason I am getting it instead of Apple Studio Display is I need dual inputs.
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