[kscherer]

Well …

[PB PM]

Figured it was coming, even the refurbished models have cleared out from Apple.ca.

[turtle]

So the real question is if Apple is going to announce a replacement. Personally I never got the idea of paying that much for their monitor. I won't be suffering in the least if they don't release a new version later this year.

[kscherer]

And now we're back to this.

Back-forth—forth-back.

[turtle]

So then the new product would likely be being billed as something different than just an "external monitor". If Apple drove people to third party seller for a new monitor option then that would imply they aren't going to just make a monitor. It would mean whatever is coming might be more than a monitor...

You know, AppleTV TV.

[kscherer]

It's like TV, but without the TV.

[alcimedes]

That would be a semi intelligent way for Apple to break into the 4k market, and might make up for the lack of resolution output on the latest AppleTV.

4k screens have come way down in price too, was able to pick up a 55" 4k TV for under $700 a bit ago.

[kscherer]

It would be very interesting to see Apple enter the TV space without "TV".

I think we've only been discussing the option of the new Apple display as a computer monitor. But, what if this new thing functioned as both? A 5k display with built-in GPU, and a built-in Apple TV?

[alcimedes]

Yep, give it wifi and a network jack, and you've got another way to 'connect' it to your laptop/desktop/ipad etc. as well.

[kscherer]

My first thought was this mess:

Originally Posted by kscherer 27" 5k Retina Display w/2GB GPU - $999 27" 5k Retina Display w/4GB GPU and 512GB Flash - $1499 27" 5k Retina Display w/8GB GPU and 1TB Flash - $1999

But, now I'm thinking that could be revised:

27" 5k Retina Display w/2GB GPU - $999
27" 5k Retina Display w/4GB GPU and 512GB Flash/Apple TV - $1499
27" 5k Retina Display w/8GB GPU and 1TB Flash/Apple TV - $1999

42" 5k Retina Display w/4GB GPU and 512GB Flash/Apple TV - $1999
42" 5k Retina Display w/8GB GPU and 1TB Flash/Apple TV - $2499

[Brave Ulysses]

Originally Posted by kscherer My first thought was this mess: But, now I'm thinking that could be revised: 27" 5k Retina Display w/2GB GPU - $999 27" 5k Retina Display w/4GB GPU and 512GB Flash/Apple TV - $1499 27" 5k Retina Display w/8GB GPU and 1TB Flash/Apple TV - $1999 42" 5k Retina Display w/4GB GPU and 512GB Flash/Apple TV - $1999 42" 5k Retina Display w/8GB GPU and 1TB Flash/Apple TV - $2499

Pointless. No one wants or needs a 5K 42" TV for $2,500. They especially don't want a 27" for $2,000.

[turtle]

...but when it's a computer monitor for the brainless too...

[Brave Ulysses]

For Apple to be recommending customers pursue third party displays suggests to me they may be a long way from replacing the Thunderbolt display.

The difficulty/lack of interest they have had in upgrading/replacing the Thunderbolt Display is so weird to me. They sell a lot of them. They are dominant in every start up office in the valley and beyond.

If they lowered the price of the existing display (but upgraded it with USB C) $699 they would likely sell like hot cakes.

[Eugene]

They were dominant at large companies at the start, but they are a tough sell now when 1440p IPS and PLS panels are available for just over $200. Also 1440p and IPS isn't "enough" anymore. The best 1440p monitors are now capable 120 or 144Hz.

On top of that, non-gamers are ready and waiting for 4K/5K. Since we aren't dealing with TV viewing distances or lack of content, there is less impedance ...only price.

[Brave Ulysses]

Originally Posted by Eugene They were dominant at large companies at the start, but they are a tough sell now when 1440p IPS and PLS panels are available for just over $200. Also 1440p and IPS isn't "enough" anymore. The best 1440p monitors are now capable 120 or 144Hz. On top of that, non-gamers are ready and waiting for 4K/5K. Since we aren't dealing with TV viewing distances or lack of content, there is less impedance ...only price.

I of course don't have firm stats, but my anecdotal observations definitely lead me to believe that it maintained healthy sales up until very recently.

It seems every large open office space is lined with Thunderbolt displays.

It's almost become iconic within tech startups which makes it very baffling that Apple would drop it.

[kscherer]

And it is definitely dropped. We just received word from Apple that the Thunderbolt Display is end of life, supply is gone, and …

It appears there is no new thing behind it.

Apple seems to have left the display market.

[Kickaha]

I am utterly confused by what's going on in Cupertino this year.

[kscherer]

Yeah, I don't get it either. We sell a ton of those displays (primarily to two or three customers), and now we have no [Apple] option.

Back to scouring the 3rd-party underworld for reasonable displays that don't look like cheap, plastic crap, since …

Originally Posted by Brave Ulysses it seems every large open office space is lined with Thunderbolt displays

… which is because Apple's displays don't just look nice from the front, they also look nice from the back.

[Frank777]

This opens up a great opportunity for a display maker to launch a line of Mac-focused displays.

If they launch a 20"-23" with a FaceTime camera and integrated speakers, it would be a great option for the Mini.

[kscherer]

At this point, I have no confidence in the 3rd-party's ability to build nice-looking displays—from all angles—with built-in power supplies.

[Eugene]

Originally Posted by Frank777 This opens up a great opportunity for a display maker to launch a line of Mac-focused displays. If they launch a 20"-23" with a FaceTime camera and integrated speakers, it would be a great option for the Mini.

Most of the time when 3rd parties try to emulate the Apple design language, they miss the mark for me. Why would a Dell, Asus, Acer, etc. make Mac-focused displays? Almost all display makers make their own competing desktops/laptops/mobiles.

[psmith2.0]

Years ago, back when the Cinema Displays were still acrylic (after the two pro lines - Power Mac G5 and the PowerBook G4 - had gone to aluminum), there was some company out of Sweden or Norway(?) who had a line of Apple-matching displays. They looked great and, at the time, were the most "Mac-y" looking displays out there, since Apple went quite a while before releasing a silver/aluminum display to match their machines.

This would've been the 2003-2005 timeframe.

For all I know, it could've just been a concept (this was pre-social media/digital panhandling, so it wasn't an outright Kickstarter/GoFundMe type of thing). But their site had photos of them in real-world settings.

For the life of me, I can't remember the company's name, the name of the displays, etc. But I know I wrote about it on the old site.

But that was 10+ years ago, and nothing's the way it used to be, so I can't imagine some company spinning their wheels trying to design/create Mac-friendly displays. Hell, even Apple doesn't see particularly interested in the Mac line (not like they were a decade or so ago, before all these other things came into existence) so why should some third-party outfit kill themselves and waste a lot of money chasing that market?

I wish I could remember the name of that company above. Seems it started with a "G"?

Anyone?

EDIT: Holy smokes, in my Googling for the answer, I came across this...my all-time favorite monitor from Apple. I haven't seen, or thought about, it in ages! I loved how it looked! That funky Mobius Strip-ish, folding-all-around-on-itself base thrilled/delighted me to no end, back in the day. I just thought the entire thing looked amazing.

[Eugene]

Scandinavian and starting with G in that timeframe doesn't ring a bell at all and I have a pretty good memory for this kind of stuff. The only monitors I really recall being popular among pros then were Lacie products.

In 2005 I bought a Dell 2405FPW for example. Nothing else was really worth considering.

[Frank777]

I remember what he's talking about.

There was a company that launched a line of Mac-specific displays back during the Clone Wars, and there was a lot of talk whether they were legit or not.

[Dave]

I think the company you're thinking of is "Eizo", but I don't know what product it was.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Frank777 I remember what he's talking about. There was a company that launched a line of Mac-specific displays back during the Clone Wars, and there was a lot of talk whether they were legit or not.

Oh? I don't remember them. I mean, I don't doubt you or anything, I'm just second-guessing my post now.

[709]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 Years ago, back when the Cinema Displays were still acrylic (after the two pro lines - Power Mac G5 and the PowerBook G4 - had gone to aluminum), there was some company out of Sweden or Norway(?) who had a line of Apple-matching displays. They looked great and, at the time, were the most "Mac-y" looking displays out there, since Apple went quite a while before releasing a silver/aluminum display to match their machines. . . . Anyone?

You're thinking of Eyegonomic. They had a set of smaller monitors with a floating G4 iMac type arm as well. [edit: X15 pdf link]

Still have that Apple translucent display! Connected to a G4 Cube back in the day. Most beautiful kit ever.

[Brave Ulysses]

Originally Posted by Eugene Scandinavian and starting with G in that timeframe doesn't ring a bell at all and I have a pretty good memory for this kind of stuff. The only monitors I really recall being popular among pros then were Lacie products. In 2005 I bought a Dell 2405FPW for example. Nothing else was really worth considering.

His clue for starting letter was wrong but I'm surprised none of you got this.

The company he is likely thinking of was Formac. They produced apple studio display knock offs called the Gallery series that came in about $100 cheaper and featured dvi and a cool design. They also produced more screen sizes than apple's 17" and 22" sizes. They were heavily advertised in MacWorld and MacAddict.

[Frank777]

That's it!

[psmith2.0]

Actually, 709 nailed it. It was Eyegonomic. Not sure where I got the "G" from (other than the "g" in Eyegonomic )...but it's been 12+ years, cut me some slack. And my Googling tells me they were Danish, so I was kinda in that general region. And I had the general timeframe right (2003, when the Apple pro Macs switched over to aluminum, but the Cinema Displays didn't).

I remember those Formac ones as well (yep, always had ads in the Mac magazines of the time), but the other one was the one ones I was talking about. I'd visit Eyegonomic's website about twice a week, wishing Apple's displays looked so cool. The Eyegonomic ones caught my eye because they weren't clear acrylic like Apple's (and Formac's) were. Those Formac ones were just variations on the pre-aluminum Cinema Displays, and still didn't go with the aluminum PowerBook G4 and G5 towers (all released throughout 2003; Apple released their redesigned aluminum Cinema Display a full year later, in June 2004).

Anyway, I've derailed the crap out of this thread long enough. Carry on with the boring 2016 stuff...