It’s been a long and sad decade for fans of Apple’s external monitors.
Apple’s Thunderbolt Display from 2011 was unceremoniously discontinued back in 2016 without being replaced. The 4K and 5K LG UltraFine displays that Apple will still sell you aren’t bad: the 5K option is still one of the only 5K monitors out there, and the devices have modern Thunderbolt 3 ports, USB hubs, integrated webcams, and decent display panels. . However, its thick, ugly bezels and black, checkered designs don’t sit well with Apple’s sleek, silver hardware. And then there’s the ProDisplay XDRa screen that can cost between two and six times more than the Mac it connects to.
But enthusiasts of multi-monitors for Mac they haven’t lost hope, and rumors have persisted that Apple is re-entering the market for screens a normal person could afford. The latest iteration of these rumors comes via Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who is usually right. He says (via MacRumors) that Apple is planning a new “more affordable” 27-inch screen and that it might be planning to launch the screen along with a more powerful version of the Mac mini sometime in 2022.
The only detail Kuo offered was that the screen would not use the Mini LED technology found in the latest iPads or MacBook Pros. So it was not specified if “2022” means “at tomorrow’s event” or “in December”.
I’m hesitant to use the word “cheap” or “cheaper” or “affordable” to describe anything about this monitor, because what is “cheaper” than the $5,000+ ProDisplay XDR. That is a very high priced umbrella for another monitor to sit under. But if the monitor is priced close to the current LG UltraFine 5K and employs higher-than-4K resolution, it could be an attractive, higher-density alternative to the 27-inch and 32-inch 4K monitors offered by most monitor makers.
These monitors don’t look bad when connected to a Mac, but their pixel density doesn’t quite match what Apple uses for its own iMac and MacBook displays – you have to use the macOS scaling settings to get things to look right. OK, but that can reduce the level of sharpness and detail that makes high-density, high-resolution displays attractive in the first place.
Jessica Ávila
🎼 I have been passionate about music and everything related to audiovisual since I was very young, and I grew up in this career that allows me to use my knowledge of consumer technology day by day. You can follow my articles here on Elenbyte to learn about some of the latest technological advances, as well as the most sophisticated and top-notch devices as they become available.
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