If Apple is waiting until 1.3 support from Intel, that means you won't see your 5k display until late 2017 (if not later), while the rest of us will start seeing 8k and/or 5k HDR displays by then.
And that's what I meant by I'm very interested to see what Apple is going to use since nVidia announced it will no longer make mobile graphics.
You realize that the phrase "cutting edge" and 2014 (iMac release date in Oct 2014, not 2015) in the same sentence just makes your statement funny. Something 2 years old is not cutting edge and when Apple released the iMac 5k, the Dell already had their 5k on the market-which meant Apple wasn't even first with 5k either. Apple releasing a 5k right now, makes it even older news as it's now a 2 year old panel and you can get one for 1400 from Amazon.
In 2014, just like Tim said, it's a superb monitor with a free computer inside; kind of speaks for the components on that computer if it's free and we know how expensive that panel is.
And enough with your buzz word "timing controller". It means nothing. You don't even know what it does. ALL monitors have timing controllers, except Apple just customized there's a little with practically no benefit other than fooling people like you to throw money at them thinking it's something special. Dell doesn't have a custom timing controller and didn't in 2014 and the monitor still pulled 60hz. The only reason that Apple needed it in the first place is because they are using the cheapest mobile graphics card they could find; of which it wouldn't drive the display so they had to cheat a little. But that's like creating a problem and then parading that you were the world's first company to fix this issue...which you created and no one else has. The problem wouldn't exist if they didn't use a low-end laptop graphics card on a desktop pc.
Now Apple did do something interesting (I forgot what it's called) to prevent cross-pixel talk. Which technically should create a higher contrast ratio (which it didn't).
Now imagine if the iMac had a desktop graphics card in it. I think 90% of people would be happy. Hell, I'd stop complaining and shut up and not question Apple being behind again. A GTX 1080 in an iMac 5k with the ability to drive another 5k @ 60hz. I think me and a lot of other complainers about Apple being behind would have nothing to say. It would be top-end components on a top-end computer and definitely a first to shove a graphics card like that into an all in one.
But... They won't... Because they don't need to. They can just release a 1024x768 monitor, tell people like you that it has a timing controller and a custom power plug and you'll buy it and argue for days that it's better than anything else out there. If only you weren't so easy to fool, maybe Apple would take the time to make something that is cutting edge. But if Apple can convince you that a 2 year old overpriced panel with a free computer inside is cutting edge...then well.... The time for Apple to actually try is still far far ahead.
I am still hoping they will release a 5k anyway and just run it in MST mode. I'm assuming you won't be able to daisy chain anything else off it, but at least it'll be a good competitor to the older dell 27".
[doublepost=1465161012][/doublepost]@Zirel hey sorry for being so offensive to you. I just can't stand people bluntly defending and not knowing why. Apple does have a certain emotional aspect to it, and quite frankly, if I didn't love Apple and was emotionally attached as well, I wouldn't be here constantly patrolling the forums.
I really do wish and hope that apple will announce something very cool. And I'm very confident they will. And if it's outdated stuff, they will somehow tweak it to be just as good if not better than up to date things. It bothers me (and many others) that a 5k standalone is not possible right now without some extremely proprietary cabling or Apple coming out of their "cheap components" shell, but even that is a possibility.
So my sincere apology for being mean to you. But, please please when you argue, have actual reasons to defend your argument than just quoting what Tim said. Even saying "colors look prettier" would have been a better defense then "timing controller".
So what are you hoping Apple will announce/want?
