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You're kidding right? Apple stalled their entire company to wait for a wire?

Nope, Apple just started working on the Mac updates last week, now that the new iPhone's are through to manufacturing. Apple apparently only has a couple of people that can design new products and they have been busy on more important things than working on a core computer product.

Anyway, once a specification is complete, it normally takes 1 year to see any products, so unlikely Apple can blame the delay on this.
 
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They shouldn't really be allowed to say 4K compatible unless they can drive 4K@60Hz.
30 Hz is not a usable refresh rate for general computing unless all you're doing with the computer is watching movies.
 
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They shouldn't really be allowed to say 4K compatible unless they can drive 4K@60Hz.
30 Hz is not a usable refresh rate for general computing unless all you're doing with the computer is watching movies.

That was my point essentially...until it hits 60Hz, its not "really" supported. Only somewhat supported.

Despite what others would have you believe, USB-C is not actually ready to take over the world.
 
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kind of useless since you need the mac charging in order to run clamshell mode, so the adapter is still needed.
 
Does this actually work with the pictured Macbook? I have read that all the various Alternate Modes are very hit and miss with the Macbook.
 
So does the power from the display keep the MacBook charged? Or can you only use the external display for as long as the MacBook stay powered by its battery?

Probably won't charge the laptop, so when your MacBook dies, that's it. Really wish they had put in an additional USB-C port on it, as well as release an AppleTV capable of 4K @ 60 Hz.

The school district I work for has a few SMART boards (basically a big touch screen so you can show a class something, and manipulate it, too). Every one I've seen requires 2 separate cords: one for video and a USB cord for the touch input. Hopefully, they'll be updated to use USB-C/Thunderbolt so they'd need only one. However, if you use an AppleTV, you'd use only the USB cord, but limited to 1080P for the time being. Here's an example of a TV version: https://education.smarttech.com/en/products/6000-series

There are also LCD projector versions as well.
 
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Hopefully this doesn't lead to a lack of HDMI on the MBP. The reason I love it so much is when I'm at a random place and I can just unplug their BRplayer or random or cable box or android box and just plug in.

Oh come on, get with the times. Who needs all that convenience and functionality when you can get a laptop that's a couple mm thinner?!?
 
If I'm not reading this wrong, it's just a mode that requires support for the mode to be on either end right?

So even if you have the cable, and a Mac that can do it, it'll be a crap shoot as to if that HDMI port on the display will actually support it, correct?

What a non-starter if I'm getting this correctly. Seems like a "hey, don't lose faith in us!" type of PR crap flinging job for everyone involved.
 
I can't see where that is implied.

It's a new mode... Means something new is happening somewhere... In the tech world, and even with Apple, that usually means new hardware required unless otherwise stated.
 
It's a new mode... Means something new is happening somewhere... In the tech world, and even with Apple, that usually means new hardware required unless otherwise stated.
Yeah, it's a new mode to USB-C devices that allows you to pipe out HDMI 1.4b signal from the USB-C port.

"HDMI Alt Mode will support the full range of HDMI 1.4b features such as: resolutions up to 4K, Audio Return Channel (ARC), 3D, HDMI Ethernet Channel, and Consumer Electronic Control (CEC)."

"Are HDMI 1.4 devices going to be backwards-compatible with older HDMI (v.1.0 - 1.3) devices?"
"Yes, devices built to the HDMI 1.4 specification will be fully backwards-compatible with existing HDMI devices and their features."
 
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30hz is fine for people to do their presentations with - no one should be using HDMI out to connect an actual monitor for work.

I not only use HDMI out to connect my Mac Mini to it's monitor for work but also for play. I don't see what the issue is.
 
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The is the exact opposite of a dongle. It keeps a dongle from being required.
Especially if it’s being used with an Ubuntu phone for the convergence feature.
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I not only use HDMI out to connect my Mac Mini to it's monitor for work but also for play. I don't see what the issue is.
Yeah, you really only need 60 Hz for 60 frames per second movies and gaming. Also, some games, like Minecraft and StarCraft II allow you to lower the frame rate. I keep StarCraft at 60 frames per second to prevent screen tearing and I keep Minecraft down to 20 frames per second to keep my MacBook’s fans from spinning loudly.
 
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Only 30 Hz. Which means, its just another thing thats possible, that no one wants to use.

Only 30 Hz for 4K. Still 60 Hz+ for 1080p.

So it's still useful if you don't need 4K.

(Correct me if I'm wrong)

On another note, is there any technical reason that would prevent them from supporting HDMI 2.0 over USB C?
 
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So does the power from the display keep the MacBook charged? Or can you only use the external display for as long as the MacBook stay powered by its battery?
Okay, I'm pretty sure this was a sarcastic response, but how cool would that be? To have your external display feed power back through the cord to your machine? I'm sure the current standards don't support this, but that would be seriously convenient.
 
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Only 30 Hz for 4K. Still 60 Hz+ for 1080p.

So it's still useful if you don't need 4K.

(Correct me if I'm wrong)
Especially since most folks don’t use 4K yet. So far, 4K is prohibitively expensive, especially for gaming. Besides, there’s no 4K video aside from a few things on Netflix and what I perceive to be a small selection of 4K Blu-Rays - 4K video is just to sparse to get into it right now. Also, if you want to play games on a 4K display, you’ll be spending at least $250 on a graphics card which can handle it adequately, and probably $500 that handles 4K very well.
 
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