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New 27-Inch 5K Display From Dell Rekindles Thoughts of Retina iMacs

A great display should remain relevant and useful through two, maybe three computer replacements.

I just don't like the all in one approach of the imac for this reason.

I need a mac mini with a bit more capability and upgradability, but not the price tag or prower of the mac pro.
 
I'm holding out for 32k. Actually make that 64k. I'm sick of seeing pixels.
 
Once Apple introduces it, it'll get cheaper. I don't know why, but Apple always pioneers screen resolution. It's finally time for the buzzword "1080p" to meet its doom.
 
JarScott said:
Nope. I won't be bothered until 8K.
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Why? 5K has been coined "Retina". We now need not to evolve display technology because no one will see the difference and everything above 5K is ridiculous and is for 'bragging rights'.


/s :p
 
Let's not forget the original retail price of $3299 for the 30" Apple Cinema Display... and at that time the PPI wasn't even close to being 220/"retina".. working professionals and 'prosumers' like myself will not hesitate to drop $$ on a good display.

:cool::cool:
 
CausticSoda said:
I'd just settle for an updated design of the Thunderbolt Display at the current resolution, frankly. I refuse to buy an "old" monitor that is thicker than the iMac. See footnote.
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ditto

I'm still using my 24" CD with my current-gen 27" imac. Obviously the screen is a little smaller, but other than the size it doesn't look any more or less out of place than the current 27" CD would.

I'm sure Apple will release an updated 27" CD at the same time they release the Retina MBA.
 
scott911 said:
A great display should remain relevant and useful through two, maybe three computer replacements.

I just don't like the all in one approach of the imac for this reason.

I need a mac mini with a bit more capability and upgradability, but not the price tag or prower of the mac pro.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I hate this too. You can use a post-2006 iMac as a display if you really want, but then you're wasting the computer. When my 2006 iMac with its nice 1920x1200 display broke, the display was useless. I bought an outdated Mac Pro because I didn't want any more all-in ones. And finding a display for it higher than 1920x1080 for cheap was really difficult because people were/are obsessed with stupid 1080p.
 
How long do we really have to wait for a Retina iMac? They've had the same screen resolutions since 2009 it's embarrassing. If I don't see one announced at the event on Tuesday I might pull the trigger on a Retina MacBook instead.
 
If an affordable 4K iMac is to be launched any time soon, it will be using the same 24" 3840x2160 IPS panel that's in the Dell UP2414Q which late-2013 and 2014 model Macs can easily drive. The cost of this 5K panel + Apple markup would be so high that I only see it being in an external display for the next 2-3 years until prices come down. The good news is that the Dell UP3214Q which was $3299 at launch last year can easily be found for $1700, so a 50% price drop in one year is pretty good. Hopefully the same will happen with this panel.

And to be honest, you really want to wait until DP 1.3 so a 5K panel like this can be handled natively by the GPU. Tricking the GPU to stick 2 displays together via MST just seems like a hack.
 
Walk away from these Dells and don't look back: I had high hopes, but the product quality is just not good.

I have their 24" 4k "retina" display (the only sane size for 4k high-DPI in my view), and the panel at least is TERRIFIC. I hope Apple uses it for a display of their own (they often use the same panels Dell does). I'd love a comparable 5k panel too! A little glow on pure black or dark video, but gorgeous the rest of the time.

But my Dell UP2414Q (styled exactly like this 5k) often fails to turn on when connected to a Mac, and that seems to be a common complaint that warranty swaps don't fix. And the whole thing is chintzy, squeaky plastic. You plug in a USB device and the whole thing flexes. You try to use the menu buttons and some need a harder touch than others. The sensor that lights up the buttons for use goes nuts and starts pulsing a light in your face when you're nowhere near the buttons. The "real aluminum" that reviewers seem to love is actually a BIT of aluminum coupled with a lot of not-quite-matching silver-painted plastic. It's just way below Apple ruggedness and design.

And it generates a ton of heat, has no speakers, no webcam, no mic, no hub beyond USB, and no glass to protect your investment and easily clean.

I wish Apple made a 4k or retina Thunderbolt 2 Display with this same LCD panel. But they don't :(

I've always recommended Dell displays to others, and their laptops to low-end buyers with a dire budget. I can't recommend either anymore. Just not well-made products.

The UP2414Q has a nice long warranty, though, is priced well under $1000, and when it DOES power on, the picture is spectacular! And has several nice scaling modes--just like a retina MacBook pro made bigger. (Windows-based reviews don't like it because Windows doesn't support high-DPI nicely--and I can say that's very true since I use Boot Camp. Mac OS does it well, though.)
 
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Nice work, Dell.

Just curious, for those waiting for Apple to come out with its own standalone retina/4k display, what would its advantages be over this one? Just Thunderbolt pass through?

Btw, according to the article, I think they went with 5k and not 4k simply because the math worked out that way using the method they supposedly used to build this monitor, which was to double an existing resolution. It was just easier.

MacRumors said:
An iMac almost certainly priced well north of $3000 could be a difficult proposition, however, so Apple may yet need more time for prices to come down before such a machine becomes commercially feasible.
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With the incredibly high prices of these panels, I don't know how Apple plans on updating the iMac with retina resolution in the foreseeable future without skyrocketing the price of the iMac way out of reach of its intended market. But then people who would actually be willing and able to pay that premium are stuck with low resolution unless they buy a second monitor (or switch to a Mac Pro+monitor). But that's a problem if they don't have a need/want or have space for a second monitor. I see why Apple combined the iMac computer and monitor into one, but this situation reveals how Apple kinda shot themselves in the foot with that move, or at least shot the consumer's foot.
 
Nunyabinez said:
My 2011 i7 iMac still runs like a champ. No interest in upgrading. But the minute a retina iMac is out, I'm pulling the trigger.

Please be real. If they announce a retina iMac next week I will be so stoked, but it probably will be a while I fear.
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Yep. Same. Right now the hardware is plenty good enough for my needs, but if they can give me something better for my eyes... now *that* would be worth it.
 
Maybe it's because I'm a little older, but actually on a 27" screen, 1080p is a great size for the work I do. But a retina iMac would let me pixel double that and have the crispness that I long for.

I wouldn't be able to read any text at 4k resolution unless the UI can be scaled up. I just want the screen on my desktop to be as crisp as my iPhone and iPad.
 
subjonas said:
Just curious, for those waiting for Apple to come out with its own standalone retina/4k display, what would its advantages be over this one? Just Thunderbolt pass through?
Click to expand...

- 3 nice built-in speakers you don't have to wire up or power on separately, nor devote desk space to.

- Nice webcam RIGHT by the display where it belongs, with mic.

- Hub with more than just USB (more than just TB2 maybe even).

- Solid aluminum construction, not creaky almost-fitting plastic.

- Protective glass (I like Apple's anti-glare glass coating just fine, and it means I'll never bump my screen with a box or clean it too hard and damage it). I'm afraid to clean soft plastic displays and they get dusty fast.

- Apple support (compared to Dell support--wow... just wow).

- Better looks! It is, after all, one of the biggest pieces of "furniture" in my office, and visible from all sides.

- And Dell has some real dud models with problems numerous people complain about and never get fixed. Some good models, some bad... and their 4k UP2414Q (companion to this 4k unit) is one of the duds! It has problems powering on and waking, and sometimes only half the picture is there. I'm not alone in that experience.
 
This is why you don't have a retina iMac. If Apple is charging $1000 for just a 27" display and the 27" iMac starts at $1800, you can figure Apple values the iMac internals alone at ~$800 and up. If you take this Dell monitor at face value and add the starting iMac configuration, you have a $3300 machine. And that's not counting the premium of an Apple monitor. The thunderbolt display is fully aluminum from the stand to the back of the unit, with ports that are more flush than on a comparable Dell. That difference can bring you to at least $3500, likely more.
 
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