Kuo: New 31.6" Apple Display in 2019 and 15-17" MacBook in 2021 to Feature Mini-LED Backlights [Updated]

[apolloa]

It will remain to be seen how good micro LED is I think.
And kudos to the rumour, it’ll o my take Apple another two years before it fixes its laptop keyboard design, or makes it worst... and it’ll cost more. It’s frankly shocking they will happily sell you a laptop for 5 grand that is t anything special and has a keyboard which dust can easily break...
Apple is only getting a few things right these days and a LOT wrong, yet Cook has a book written about him and celebrating him?

It remains to be seen if these future products fix what they’ve messed up.. I bet a few of these rumours will never happen though including a micro LED display this year.

But this story as I’ve said before is just more proof Koh is not always right like some believe...

 

[Tech198]

So, Apple returning to the scene of the crime...

- First they give up Thunderbolt display.
- They "test" it by making bigger iMac's
- Now they are back "in the game."

Not exactly the road-map i would have gone, but i guess you get there in the end. I dunno why Apple decided to stop selling Thunderbolt displays.. There was obviously a market..

(I guess not much of one if they killed it off..)

So. is this 31.6' inch just "another test" ?

 

[nihil0]

6K is what it takes for a 31.5” monitor to have the same pixel density as a 5K 27” i.e. 217 ppi.

According to rumors it’ll have a widescreen 2:1 aspect ratio, with a resolution of 6144 x 3072.

I wonder how current Mac Mini with poor performing gpu will be able to handle this resolution

 

[polaris20]

Your suggestion is not new, but not likely in the cards as Apple tends not to regress. The evidence is the rumor of Apple moving from 15.4” to 16.0”-16.5”. I am hoping that Apple moves the current 13.3” MacBook Pro up to 14” to accommodate Intel’s upcoming 6-core 28w U-Series. This would make it easier for Apple to release a 15.4” version of the MacBook Air, which I know many users here on this forum would like to see released.

A functional keyboard that doesn't break and cost $600 to repair wouldn't be a regression. But I see what you mean.

 

[Zdigital2015]

A functional keyboard that doesn't break and cost $600 to repair wouldn't be a regression. But I see what you mean.

I think that Apple could and should do a better job at modularizing the MacBook Pro's internals at the expense of increasing the thickness of the computer itself. I remember the PowerBook G4 Titanium had two tabs that basically allowed me to remove the keyboard to get to the innards of the machine. The flip side was that the whole damn chassis creaked and flexed like there was no tomorrow after abut the first year of ownership. I strongly believe that Apple should spend some quality engineering time in developing a better chassis that can be repaired easily by technicians and that helps to minimize replacement costs for users whether they have AppleCare or not. This would also help Apple reduce its costs, which I find curious given Apple's focus on profitability, but I digress.

I also find it ironic that Apple glues their batteries considering the emphasis that Apple places on the aesthetics of their computers. With their ID and engineering prowess, glue seems a rather inelegant solution necessitating a complete top case replacement, which I find overly complicated given that a replaceable battery could be changed out in about 10-15 minutes at the Genius Bar instead of 3-5 days at depot. I replaced the battery on my Late 2011 15" MacBook Pro in about 5 minutes by myself with a Newer Tech battery. This applies to your 2015 (2012-2015 and 2016- ) MacBook Pro as well, but I digress.

At its worst, moving to a larger display and requisite replacement chassis allows Apple to sidestep direct comparisons to the 2016-whenever MacBook Pro and the butterfly keyboard, which to my way of thinking is just an extreme way to save face and not admit that maybe the butterfly keyboards are not the height of reliability. I prefer the Magic Keyboard 2 scissors mechanism myself. I also find that the Late 2011 has a superior feel and stability to the Mid-2012 - Mid 2015 Retina MacBook Pros wobbly keys. One wonders how much the thickness of the chassis contributes to this feel. That being said, I do not enjoy lugging around the Late 2011 in any way, shape or form, compared to the 2012-2015 and especially the 2016- models.

Seems like Apple needs to look back a bit before looking forward.

 

[whitedragon101]

Deleted

 

[SuprUsrStan]

Dang. So does this mean I should stop waiting for a new MBP unless I want to wait 2 more years?

Nah, I see this rumor as a research note specifically on Mini LED displays in those products. He’s saying we will see a mini LED MacBook Pro in about 2021. That doesn’t go against apple redesigning a MacBook Pro for 16.5 inch display this year. Just that it’s not going to be a mini LED display.

 

[RogueWarrior65]

I can't wait two years for a bigger laptop. How hard can this be? It's not like they haven't done it before.

 

[bbdani]

So, Apple returning to the scene of the crime...

- First they give up Thunderbolt display.
- They "test" it by making bigger iMac's
- Now they are back "in the game."

...I dunno why Apple decided to stop selling Thunderbolt displays.. There was obviously a market..

I'm glad they decided to do another display! Hope it's not too expensive. Computer is about the interface and displaying, too. Apple from the past knew that and was actually based on that.
Tech198: I respected their decision to stop producing and let other companys -who are in my opinion obviously making exeptional progress at panels etc.- work on it. But it seems like it turned out, no one stepped in and made a great display, especially not design wise. I can see Apple new display selling very well for years. I agree, they never should have left the game. Or just start earlier and not make subscriptions based, hollywood big name cringe stuff and advertise all for the young people. Like once the ipod was about. This gives at least a little hope (new mac pro as well) that they still do care about us. Interesting how many people are not commenting on the new Apple display although i have to say i'm interested in the new macbooks as well.

 

[kepler20b]

btw..

if it is 6k3k display it probably will not be a 16:10 aspect ratio. or 16:9


its going to be 2:1 or 2.4:1 ultrawide.

 

[aeronatis]

The 13" pro has a few part quality improvements over the air (such as a higher quality screen), but typically doesn't have major performance differences. In the absence of a clear differentiator, people will probably go for the cheaper model.

My money in the pool is on their notebook line finally settling down to three models (without multiple screen sizes per model):
- Macbook, smallest size, ultraportable optimized for "executive travel", likely not the cheapest model
- MacBook Air, mid size, optimized for cost, most popular
- MacBook Pro, large size, dedicated GPU/memory, most powerful components they can fit in given power constraints (~85W max steady TDP)

If they start rolling out ARM-based CPUs, I would expect it to land in the MacBook or Air first. We might see future generations of the T2 chip slowly subsume more functions first (like background processing during x86 machine hibernation, thunderbolt/usb controller, gpu) , and even become a ARM coprocessor to allow for machines to run both ARM and x86 code for a period of time vs rosetta-style subsystems - which Intel may not license their patents on the newer x86 instruction sets to support.

13" MacBook Pro is significantly ahead of MacBook Air in terms of internals, no comparison there. 28 Watt quad-core CPU, Intel Iris Plus GPU, 2 more Thunderbolt 3 ports, BT 5 just to name a few. Even the entry level non-TouchBar MacBook Pro is noticeably faster in terms of graphics (that model could be no more in the upcoming refreshes though due to Intel only offering Iris Plus graphics along with 28-watt CPUs since 8th gen).

 

[vhayda]

Price Prediction for the new 6K display:

+$1,691 base 27" iMac 5K
-$50 RAM
-$200 Radeon Pro 570X 4GB GDDR5
-$250 3.0GHz 6-core 8th-generation Intel Core i5
-$75 1TB Fusion Drive
-$100 Magic Keyboard & Mouse
-$50 less material used
+$300 for it being a 6K rather than 5K

= $1,266 ~= $1,299

 

[aeronatis]

Price Prediction for the new 6K display:

+$1,691 base 27" iMac 5K
-$50 RAM
-$200 Radeon Pro 570X 4GB GDDR5
-$250 3.0GHz 6-core 8th-generation Intel Core i5
-$75 1TB Fusion Drive
-$100 Magic Keyboard & Mouse
-$50 less material used
+$300 for it being a 6K rather than 5K

= $1,266 ~= $1,299

Given they sell LG Ultrafine 5K for $1299 and Apple's version will most probably come with an aluminum chassis, bigger screen size and a higher resolution, the price could be around $1499, if not higher. If they also (hopefully) release a 27" 5K version, even for that $1299 could be quite nice.

 

[Zdigital2015]

Price Prediction for the new 6K display:

+$1,691 base 27" iMac 5K
-$50 RAM
-$200 Radeon Pro 570X 4GB GDDR5
-$250 3.0GHz 6-core 8th-generation Intel Core i5
-$75 1TB Fusion Drive
-$100 Magic Keyboard & Mouse
-$50 less material used
+$300 for it being a 6K rather than 5K

= $1,266 ~= $1,299

LG sells their UltraFine 5K 27" display for $1299.00 and it is made out of plastic. Apple's 6K display will almost certainly be made out of aluminum and include some expanded connectivity given that it will need to run via Thunderbolt 3. Should the display itself have additional features (120Hz ProMotion, HDR support that puts it beyond the P3 gamut), the absolute minimum price for this display is going to be $1499. As it is a 6K display, I suspect you are going to see it at $1999-$2199.

Beyond that, working backwards from an iMac 5K is not an ideal way to predict pricing on a standalone monitor.

EDIT: LG also offers a 32" 4K UHD w/HDR and FreeSync with Thunderbolt 3 connectivity and it costs $1196.99 at B&H - https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1441614-REG/lg_32ul950_w_32_class_ultrafine.html

 

[Chrome262]

You probably want to wait until they fix the keyboard issues anyhow.

Meh, my 2018 15inch pro seems fine, and the 2016 13 inch pro in the office seems ok as well. but if they are coming out with a refresh or something this year then maybe wait

 

[ruiinplano]

I love my 5k iMac, not sure will I update to the 6k

 

[rembert]

Oh boy. If they don't do something about the keyboard for the 2019 refresh (assuming they have one) I'm going to have to buy my first non-Mac since 2000. I guess there was zero guarantee that even if they did release the rumored 15 - 17" this year there would be a keyboard change. I was just dreaming of replacing my slowing 2013 rMBP with the fantasy machine that was going to right the ship. My brother has the 2016 MBP. I can't travel to the upside down with him.

You could put your MBP on a stand, buy a second screen and use another keyboard. Even though I use a late 2015 MBP I do have that setup at both my office and home-office. I only use the built-in keyboard when I'm out of the office. But, I won't move to any new MBP until they've fixed the keyboards - which includes keys with real travel (no butterfly) and all keys physically present. I wouldn't mind a touchbar ABOVE my 2015 keyboard but not replacing my top row keys. I do use many of them while typing blind. That's close to impossible with a touchbar. Then I might even start to appreciate the touchbar.

 

[zachlegomaniac]

You could put your MBP on a stand, buy a second screen and use another keyboard. Even though I use a late 2015 MBP I do have that setup at both my office and home-office. I only use the built-in keyboard when I'm out of the office. But, I won't move to any new MBP until they've fixed the keyboards - which includes keys with real travel (no butterfly) and all keys physically present. I wouldn't mind a touchbar ABOVE my 2015 keyboard but not replacing my top row keys. I do use many of them while typing blind. That's close to impossible with a touchbar. Then I might even start to appreciate the touchbar.

A viable option. We do have displays already. I’m still hoping there’s some real improvement if they release a 2019 refresh (who wouldn’t want that I suppose).

 

[bbdani]

Given they sell LG Ultrafine 5K for $1299 and Apple's version will most probably come with an aluminum chassis, bigger screen size and a higher resolution, the price could be around $1499, if not higher. If they also (hopefully) release a 27" 5K version, even for that $1299 could be quite nice.

I agree a 27" with good panel quality would be great. I would pick that over the 31". As i stated before, i'm glad they finally decided to work on displays again.
@Zdigital2015: I'm afraid you are right. I expect it to be around that price tag as well.

Overall, Imac user can use it as a second monitor. Mac mini and mac pro users kind of need the display. And people who use a portable computer (macbook) can use it at home to work more comfortable with an ergonomic screen height and to display work on a bigger screen. We are still not at that point where a monitor can disappear by rolling (like Lgs new rolling tv) or glas that gets translucent so it will have to work as a piece of furniture on the table. On and off. And to be honest, imo the old 27 cinema and thunderbolt display does look more modern and futuristic than the almost 7 years later released Lg Ultrafine.

 

[- rob -]

The absolute minimum price for this display is going to be $1499. As it is a 6K display, I suspect you are going to see it at $1999-$2199.

I'm not sure it is even worth mentioning the absolute minimum price. Apple never releases stuff at the low end! But apart from that I think you're right on, it will probably be about $2000.

I have been in the market for a replacement of my 27" HDR P2715Q which I'm driving with the Blackmagic standard eGPU on the 2018 MacBook Air. I recently tried going to a 38" curved display, the U3818DW--and despite looking kinda cool the display's PPI was so low it looked terrible in comparison. I returned it immediately.

So reading this only a few weeks later was a welcome surprise.

I'm hopeful the standard Blackmagic has enough power to drive this 6k, though I've been so happy with the performance of the eGPU that I honestly would consider selling it and upgrading to the PRO. I don't even care about price premium for the Vega 56. My clamshell primary workstation is really killer with this product.

I really think the blackmagic egpus are underrated and value underreported. Perhaps they'll get more coverage as they will likely be required for a bunch of different existing Apple laptops to use the 6k.

It's a big capital cost to throw about ~$2700 at it for a 6k and upgrading to the pro egpu--but I'm expecting the display combo to last 3-4 years. Especially if the new arm macbook only has 2-3x graphics performance of the current MBA.

 

[PickUrPoison]

I'm not sure it is even worth mentioning the absolute minimum price. Apple never releases stuff at the low end! But apart from that I think you're right on, it will probably be about $2000.

I have been in the market for a replacement of my 27" HDR P2715Q which I'm driving with the Blackmagic standard eGPU on the 2018 MacBook Air. I recently tried going to a 38" curved display, the U3818DW--and despite looking kinda cool the display's PPI was so low it looked terrible in comparison. I returned it immediately.

So reading this only a few weeks later was a welcome surprise.

I'm hopeful the standard Blackmagic has enough power to drive this 6k, though I've been so happy with the performance of the eGPU that I honestly would consider selling it and upgrading to the PRO. I don't even care about price premium for the Vega 56. My clamshell primary workstation is really killer with this product.

I really think the blackmagic egpus are underrated and value underreported. Perhaps they'll get more coverage as they will likely be required for a bunch of different existing Apple laptops to use the 6k.

It's a big capital cost to throw about ~$2700 at it for a 6k and upgrading to the pro egpu--but I'm expecting the display combo to last 3-4 years. Especially if the new arm macbook only has 2-3x graphics performance of the current MBA.

The standard Blackmagic should be fine but of course it depends on how much eGPU performance you want/need.

Given the expected quality, niche market and the cost of manufacturing large, high-pixel density panels, you might want to recalibrate your expectations I expect $2000 at a minimum and $2,500 would not surprise me in the least.

btw yes the Blackmagic products are very nice, but many who don’t understand their unique features will tell you they’re overpriced

 

[- rob -]

The standard Blackmagic should be fine but of course it depends on how much eGPU performance you want/need.

Given the expected quality, niche market and the cost of manufacturing large, high-pixel density panels, you might want to recalibrate your expectations I expect $2000 at a minimum and $2,500 would not surprise me in the least.

btw yes the Blackmagic products are very nice, but many who don’t understand their unique features will tell you they’re overpriced

I hate to say it but you’re right. It could easily be a $2500 monitor.

Do you have / use a blackmagic?

 

[AppDever]

Just make an updated MacBook Pro 15" with a working keyboard before my hard deadline comes 08/2019. I don't want to have to buy a 14-month old laptop with keyboard issues

Or make a 15" MacBook Air

 

[Zdigital2015]

I'm not sure it is even worth mentioning the absolute minimum price. Apple never releases stuff at the low end! But apart from that I think you're right on, it will probably be about $2000.

I have been in the market for a replacement of my 27" HDR P2715Q which I'm driving with the Blackmagic standard eGPU on the 2018 MacBook Air. I recently tried going to a 38" curved display, the U3818DW--and despite looking kinda cool the display's PPI was so low it looked terrible in comparison. I returned it immediately.

So reading this only a few weeks later was a welcome surprise.

I'm hopeful the standard Blackmagic has enough power to drive this 6k, though I've been so happy with the performance of the eGPU that I honestly would consider selling it and upgrading to the PRO. I don't even care about price premium for the Vega 56. My clamshell primary workstation is really killer with this product.

I really think the blackmagic egpus are underrated and value underreported. Perhaps they'll get more coverage as they will likely be required for a bunch of different existing Apple laptops to use the 6k.

It's a big capital cost to throw about ~$2700 at it for a 6k and upgrading to the pro egpu--but I'm expecting the display combo to last 3-4 years. Especially if the new arm macbook only has 2-3x graphics performance of the current MBA.

The 2018 MacBook Air and both models of the Blackmagic eGPU are using the Titan Ridge Thunderbolt 3 controller (JHL7540), which support Display Port 1.4, so I think you should be fine. Both eGPUs can handle up to 5120x2880, while I suspect that the rumored 6K monitor will still be 16:9 and have a resolution of 6144x3456 (I took the 4K Retina and multiplied by 1.5x on the 4096x2304), which means an effective Retina resolution of 3072x1728(@2x).

Obviously, until Apple releases the Mac Pro and any Pro displays, this is just speculation, but I am trying to be conservative. I think they may have chosen 6K resolution to keep costs down versus an 8K display, while still giving UHD content creators plenty of space to work at full-res. Everyone seems to believe that 8K content is just around the corner and that UHD 4K will be short lived, however, despite the announcements at NAB, I just don't see it happening quite yet. But I readily admit I am not an expert.

 

[Jamie61571]

I can’t wait for the 31 inch monitor to come out I wonder if it will have built in apps?