Future Apple Display?

[ABCDEF-Hex]

Everyone knows how Apple loves to make everything thinner. If you combine these two news items/rumors you could easily dream up a possible new display.

1 - Sony demos super thin TV:

"Sony will be exhibiting the X9000C series, featuring a new "Floating Style" design concept that boasts the world's thinnest build (approximately 4.9 mm at its thinnest point)." (Sony)

2 - Why Apple’s new 12-inch MacBook Air can abandon almost all ports.

“While rumors of a 12-inch MacBook Air have been merrily percolating these last few months, the most interesting aspect of Apple’s upcoming redesign turns out not to be the size after all,” Brian Barrett reports for Gizmodo. “It’s the apparent abandonment of ports.”

Just thinking out loud. I have not even considered the "technical" aspects of this so go ahead and blast away at me about how and why this would never be done - I don't care.

 

[thedeske]

the apparent abandonment of ports

Apparent to who? All BS until Cupertino sings

 

[Fishrrman]

My guess is that the only Apple-labeled display we're likely to see in the future will be a 4k/5k display, once most Macs can support such a display at sufficient refresh rates.

IF such a display is released, I predict it will be QUITE expensive.

Aside from that, I'm going to take a -guess- that Apple is pretty much "out of the display business" -- just as they exited the printer market some years' ago...

 

[thedeske]

Don't know if they're "out" or not.
I.O./Res no mans land?

A treatment with the late 2012 27in panel and USB3 would have
worked just fine if released early/mid 2013.

The 5k is a Bstrd Child right now. Nothing will drive it, including the
box it's in. OK, you can argue the iMac does, but just "by the hair of it's chiney chin chin"

 

[larrysing1963]

Coming this year

My educated guess from reading most of the "Apple rumors" I can find online is that Apple will start selling a 4K/5K monitor (probably 4K) in 2015, possible around the middle of the year. No later than October though.

That's my guess and I'm sticking with it.

 

[apphotography]

Throw projectors are promising

 

[jimthing]

See more detail of issues here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=20598759#post20598759

4K at this stage is highly unlikely BTW – Apple want everything to be "Retina" along with the rest of their range. Hence the need for 5K to offer enough DPI.
...and also all the mass rumours about the Retina 12" Air (with/wo one port!).

 

[larrysing1963]

See more detail of issues here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=20598759#post20598759

4K at this stage is highly unlikely BTW – Apple want everything to be "Retina" along with the rest of their range. Hence the need for 5K to offer enough DPI.
...and also all the mass rumours about the Retina 12" Air (with/wo one port!).

My guess is 4K because so many of their existing computers which are out in the world cannot support 5K because of hardware limitations (GPU speed.)

But they certainly might future proof it and go 5K.

 

[jimthing]

My guess is 4K because so many of their existing computers which are out in the world cannot support 5K because of hardware limitations (GPU speed.)

But they certainly might future proof it and go 5K.

Sure larry, but if they wanted to offer a 4K solution, they would've done so by now, one suspects.

Yes, I guess they could have been waiting for prices of the 60Hz IPS 4K panels to be more affordable before doing so (thus retailing at an 'affordable' price), but why then offer the 5K iMac to the marketplace if that was their aim, as doing so (from a marketing perspective) would be surely shooting themselves in the foot, as users would be pining after the better 5K screens they already proffered to users on the 5K iMac.

And since when do Apple really care about existing users; they're all about supporting what's next. Classic example being that only the latest Mac Pro & MacBook Pro even work properly with 60Hz 4K screens (30Hz is not worth the pain). So most 'legacy' Mac users (including myself here unfortunately, with 2009 & 2012 machines respectively -- wow, how old, lol!) can't even use decent 4K displays anyway.

Apple also want displays capable of 120Hz refresh rate, I suspect, given their new iPhone 6's offer this record function, and that requires Thunderbolt 3 (via DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 specifications both ratified late 2014) that'll come late 2015 at the earliest.

Before all that, I recon they'll fill this year's media and users' attention, by focusing on releasing the Apple Watch, perhaps a new 12" iPad Pro (or whatever it's gonna be called!), and a new possible 12" Retina MacBook Air complete redesign.

We shall see, anyway.

 

[nutmac]

My guess is that the only Apple-labeled display we're likely to see in the future will be a 4k/5k display, once most Macs can support such a display at sufficient refresh rates.

I don't think Apple will do 4K. We are basically looking at the future Apple display already, retina iMac. Once Thunderbolt 3 is ready, we will probably get retina 27" Thunderbolt Display with same 5K resolution, along with much overdue USB 3 ports.

The question is how much. Retina iMac has $500 price premium over non-retina display, so it is reasonable to assume retina Apple display will retail at $1500.

 

[shoebobs]

I don't think Apple will do 4K. We are basically looking at the future Apple display already, retina iMac. Once Thunderbolt 3 is ready, we will probably get retina 27" Thunderbolt Display with same 5K resolution, along with much overdue USB 3 ports.

This. If nothing once Skylake macs are released, then time to worry about Apple exiting the display business. But until then, the fact they are waiting is logical. They are clearly targeting 5K which makes sense if they are aiming for the pro market - if you are working on a 4k image, you still have room for a ribbon/toolbar with a 5K mac (i.e. photoshop options).

I would've liked a minor update to the Thunderbolt display a couple years ago (USB 3) to tide us over, but Apple probably realizes that isn't a big deal to 99% of people who are going to buy one.

I'm holding steady with my 2012 MBA until Skylake Macs are released. Then it's time to figure out if I go non-apple for display, depending on what they offer.