New 27" iMac designed to also work as a display

[AppleInsider]

Apple has designed its new 27" iMac model to serve as an external display for DisplayPort devices such as recent MacBook and MacBook Pros.

The new model is the first all-in-one system from Apple that doubles as an external display. Attaching a notebook or other device capable of DisplayPort output only requires the use of the appropriate cable. All of Apple's recent Macs, from its notebooks to the iMacs and Mac mini, use a Mini DisplayPort connector, so linking a notebook to the display would require a cable with that connector on both ends.

There was previously no existing need for such a cable, so it may take time for these to appear on the market. (Update: Apple already lists a Belkin cable for this purpose.)

The company's existing 24" LED Cinema Display, intended primarily for use with recent MacBooks, uses a combined cable that pairs USB, Mini DisplayPort, and power into a single wiring harness. The display itself lacks a Mini DisplayPort input port. Earlier Cinema Display models, such as the 30" screen Apple continues to sell, use DVI connectors instead.

The high end iMac now supplies a screen larger and with significantly more pixels than its standalone 24" LED Cinema Display model (which for $899 sports a 1920x1200 resolution), providing a 2560x1440 native resolution nearly as large as the company's 30" Cinema Display HD (which delivers 2560x1600 but costs $1799). With all those pixels on the new 27" iMac, Apple couldn't resist giving users the option to use the screen for more than just the iMac (note that the 21.5" iMacs do not support video input).



Being able to support DisplayPort input also opens the possibility for users to connect a Blu-Ray player, TV tuner, or other device to their iMac for non-computing display purposes. The wide screen display is now a cinematic 16:9 aspect ratio, the same as HDTVs.

Like its most recent standalone display, the new 27" iMac uses LED backlighting to provide an instant on picture that is uniformly bright. LED backlighting (versus the more conventional backlight using cold cathode fluorescent lamps) also supports finer grained brightness control, allows for a thinner enclosure, and happens to be more environmentally sensitive because it doesn't require the use of highly toxic mercury.

Apple is also touting the new iMac display's IPS (in-plane switching) screen technology, which it credits for the new iMac's color reproduction performance and extremely wide 178 degree viewing angles. It has also returned to selling a VESA mounting adapter for its iMacs, which allows users to attach their 30.5 pound screen to a wall for HDTV-style viewing.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[aplnub]

That was really nice of them. If my home and work iMac did that I would be really happy!

The VESA mount is a good feature also. I could see one of these in my man cave one day.

[TenoBell]

I want the beautiful display without the extra computer.

[akhomerun]

This feature is needed and has been needed on iMacs. There is no reason to throw your monitor away because your computer has become out of date specwise.

[joelsalt]

Originally Posted by akhomerun

This feature is needed and has been needed on iMacs. There is no reason to throw your monitor away because your computer has become out of date specwise.

Agreed: this feature will allow someone to buy an iMac, and then in x years when they upgrade, use it as a second screen.

By the time that 2nd iMac is replaced (assuming current trends) the old one is either old enough that the display isn't great, or else the newest iMac would (by then) allow triple-monitors.

[caljomac]

I'm gonna plug my ps3 into this and it'll have mega graphics

[Emvee]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Being able to support DisplayPort input also opens the possibility for users to connect a Blu-Ray player, TV tuner, or other device to their iMac for non-computing display purposes. The wide screen display is now a cinematic 16:9 aspect ratio, the same as HDTVs.

I am sure it'll work fine to display MBP imagery on the iMac, for instance, but have serious doubts when trying to connect any other 1080p video source not using (mini)DP as an output signal. It would be really nice if Apple would mention what IS and what is NOT possible in terms of connecting external devices and required cables/converters. I also contacted a cable and adapter supplier that offers products in the MAC store, but they replied not to offer a solution for this type of connections (I asked the question to connect a PS3 in 1080p).

So, to work or not to work with external non-DisplayPort signals?

[bcode]

it's about bloody time!

[paxman]

I love the new format - next up, the iphone

[Galley]

Can I assume that it would allow video capture with the proper software?

[walshbj]

Can you use it as a display with its computer parts sleeping??

[macthecat]

All of Apple's recent Macs, from its notebooks to the iMacs and Mac mini, use a Mini DisplayPort connector, so linking a notebook to the display would require a cable with that connector on both ends.

There was previously no existing need for such a cable, so it may take time for these to appear on the market.

These cables are already on the market and probably have been for a while now.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/su...02&cp_id=10246
Other displays were using displayport before apple adopted it, so yes there was a need for these.

Edit: Well actually I can't find anything that would have needed a mini displayport - mini displayport cable so it's a bit odd that these were even being made but they are available.

[BenRoethig]

Originally Posted by akhomerun

This feature is needed and has been needed on iMacs. There is no reason to throw your monitor away because your computer has become out of date specwise.

Problem is that you'd need an non all-in-one as your new one.

[beastvince]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

There was previously no existing need for such a cable, so it may take time for these to appear on the market.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

Actually that cable is already on the store and has a few weeks lead time.

[addabox]

Originally Posted by Galley

Can I assume that it would allow video capture with the proper software?

Probably not. Seeing as how DP in is HDCP compliant, it's pretty unlikely that the signal does anything but go directly to the display.

[alandail]

Originally Posted by TenoBell

I want the beautiful display without the extra computer.

The computer is basically free. The 27" iMac costs less than the 30" cinema HD display. Is another 160 vertical pixels worth another $100?

[cdifferent]

Ever since I read this about this feature, I've been struggling to understand what its real value is - whats the killer scenario. After all, if I have a powerful notebook, I'm not going to run out and buy a new desktop, just so I can get more screen resolution, I'd buy a monitor, not a whole new computer. But then I started to think, what if I had a device with a small screen and not so great computing power that I mostly used away from my desk- like a tablet or a netbook. Then I would have the need to buy a second more powerful computer with a monitor I could plug into and possibly leverage the keyboard and mouse connected to that computer for my portable device. That seems like a more reasonable scenario to me.

[crackedpot]

Originally Posted by Galley

Can I assume that it would allow video capture with the proper software?

basically it seems to bypass the computer alltogether when using it as an external monitor. In other words the screen is connected to your alternate device but the computer is not, you would then have to get a video capturing device over firewire or usb.

[charlienail]

too bad imacs are like mirrors, that screen is not very useful for a pro compared to the nice matte coating on the 30" apple displays.

[james808]

I think its more accurate to say that this shows how over-priced and out of date the 30" display is. Given Apple's profits I seriously doubt they are giving away the 27" iMacs.

[crackedpot]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Apple has designed its new 27" iMac model to serve as an external display for DisplayPort devices such as recent MacBook and MacBook Pros.

The new model is the first all-in-one system from Apple that doubles as an external display. Attaching a notebook or other device capable of DisplayPort output only requires the use of the appropriate cable. All of Apple's recent Macs, from its notebooks to the iMacs and Mac mini, use a Mini DisplayPort connector, so linking a notebook to the display would require a cable with that connector on both ends.

There was previously no existing need for such a cable, so it may take time for these to appear on the market. The company's existing 24" LED Cinema Display, intended primarily for use with recent MacBooks, uses a combined cable that pairs USB, Mini DisplayPort, and power into a single wiring harness. The display itself lacks a Mini DisplayPort input port. Earlier Cinema Display models, such as the 30" screen Apple continues to sell, use DVI connectors instead.

The high end iMac now supplies a screen larger and with significantly more pixels than its standalone 24" LED Cinema Display model (which for $899 sports a 1920x1200 resolution), providing a 2560x1440 native resolution nearly as large as the company's 30" Cinema Display HD (which delivers 2560x1600 but costs $1799). With all those pixels on the new 27" iMac, Apple couldn't resist giving users the option to use the screen for more than just the iMac (note that the 21.5" iMacs do not support video input).



Being able to support DisplayPort input also opens the possibility for users to connect a Blu-Ray player, TV tuner, or other device to their iMac for non-computing display purposes. The wide screen display is now a cinematic 16:9 aspect ratio, the same as HDTVs.

Like its most recent standalone display, the new 27" iMac uses LED backlighting to provide an instant on picture that is uniformly bright. LED backlighting (versus the more conventional backlight using cold cathode fluorescent lamps) also supports finer grained brightness control, allows for a thinner enclosure, and happens to be more environmentally sensitive because it doesn't require the use of highly toxic mercury.

Apple is also touting the new iMac display's IPS (in-plane switching) screen technology, which it credits for the new iMac's color reproduction performance and extremely wide 178 degree viewing angles. It has also returned to selling a VESA mounting adapter for its iMacs, which allows users to attach their 30.5 pound screen to a wall for HDTV-style viewing.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

These new iMacs are still missing multi-touch and Blu-Ray although this feature seems to be their answer to BluRay for now. Please give us multi-touch and with the convenient new release of Windows 7 coinciding it seems quite unfortunate.

[malax]

Originally Posted by crackedpot

These new iMacs are still missing multi-touch and Blu-Ray although this feature seems to be their answer to BluRay for now. Please give us multi-touch and with the convenient new release of Windows 7 coinciding it seems quite unfortunate.

Keep your fingers off my screen or I'll have to yell at you. No multitouch on the desktop, thank you. Besides that's ergonomically awful (having to reach over your keyboard and desktop to interact with the screen). If you want it for kiosk mode, there are add-ons for that.

[Gadgetoid]

Well done, AppleInsider. You have absolutely spectacularly failed to bring any insight to the table regarding this display, and have placed the question (which I heard asked twice in the Apple store today) even more firmly upon everyones lips.

DOES THIS WORK WITH A PASSIVE HDMI INPUT?

Here's a thought. Stop posting trumped up press releases and start, you know, actually trying out products so you can deliver useful information rather than just rehashed marketing spiel.

Whilst we're on the topic of you trumping up press releases to draw traffic, get rid of the visually offensive advertising from your site. I don't want to fix my teeth, I'm not obese, and I don't need high performance de-odorant. It's clear you just want to push through ad revenue and don't give a monkeys about your readership.

</rant>

[addabox]

Originally Posted by crackedpot

These new iMacs are still missing multi-touch and Blu-Ray although this feature seems to be their answer to BluRay for now. Please give us multi-touch and with the convenient new release of Windows 7 coinciding it seems quite unfortunate.

Multi-touch on a desktop monitor is exactly the kind of gimmicky "feature" that the PC world is always using to get some mindshare.

There isn't any earthly reason to have a system that obliges you to reach across your desk to tap or swipe your monitor. Especially now that Apple has implemented touch on their new mouse, putting the control at your hand position where it belongs.

EDIT: Yeah, what Malax said.

[addabox]

Originally Posted by Gadgetoid

Well done, AppleInsider. You have absolutely spectacularly failed to bring any insight to the table regarding this display, and have placed the question (which I heard asked twice in the Apple store today) even more firmly upon everyones lips.

DOES THIS WORK WITH A PASSIVE HDMI INPUT?

Here's a thought. Stop posting trumped up press releases and start, you know, actually trying out products so you can deliver useful information rather than just rehashed marketing spiel.

Whilst we're on the topic of you trumping up press releases to draw traffic, get rid of the visually offensive advertising from your site. I don't want to fix my teeth, I'm not obese, and I don't need high performance de-odorant. It's clear you just want to push through ad revenue and don't give a monkeys about your readership.

</rant>

It's HDCP compliant. Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adaptors are available. You do the math.

[anantksundaram]

Originally Posted by crackedpot

These new iMacs are still missing .... Blu-Ray ....

I am getting tired of the whining re. Blu-Ray. If you need it/want it so badly, why the heck don't you just buy it and hook it up to your iMac!? If it's cheap, it's a no-brainer to do so; if it's not, it's silly of you to expect that Apple will include it and pass that cost on to a buyer who (like me, and apparently millions of others) may not want it.

[Timon]

What's missing is a DMI or HDMI ---> Display port. I've not seen one of those that don't cost almost $200. How do you connect a BluRay player without one?

[macshark]

$1600 is a pretty decent price for a 27" IPS monitor with 2560x1440 resolution and LED backlight. You are basically getting the Mac for free...

[Foo2]

Originally Posted by alandail

The computer is basically free. The 27" iMac costs less than the 30" cinema HD display. Is another 160 vertical pixels worth another $100?

YES!
I'm totally against these smaller displays. Put black bars at the top or bottom when displaying 16:9 material if you must, but give us the pixels.

[witheredmind]

Originally Posted by Timon

What's missing is a DMI or HDMI ---> Display port. I've not seen one of those that don't cost almost $200. How do you connect a BluRay player without one?

Not only do these cables exist, but they are also inexpensive.

Mini DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort - $5.81
Mini DisplayPort to HDMI - $8.42

http://www.monoprice.com/products/se...ayport&x=0&y=0

[Emvee]

Originally Posted by Timon

What's missing is a DMI or HDMI ---> Display port. I've not seen one of those that don't cost almost $200. How do you connect a BluRay player without one?

Wouldn't this one do the trick? http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2

[squeeky75]

Has anyone tried plugging one of these into another exact same model (I guess not since it's a bit early)?

When you think about it, when compared to a mac pro with two 30 inches displays, two of these beasts are pretty "cheap" since they are hardly more expensive than the screens themselves. And as others pointed out you only lose a few pixels in the height.

Sure it looks like a waste to use an iMac only for its screen but when you think about it the possibilities to make this worthwile are numerous.

Connect the two via gigabit ethernet and then:

- use the second one as a timemachine target (make use of that terabyte)
- clone your files on the second one to have a backup machine ready to run in case the mainone dies (would require some fiddling to get superduper to do this over the network I guess. I could use rsync over SSH though).
- via gigaibit ethernet you can use remote screen control to launch tasks on the second imac easily, think running windows 7 in vmware without worrying about disk swapping)
- still through the ethernet you could use the cpu of the 'screen imac' to do background processing (eg. distributed XCode builds or some distributed 3D rendering)

Of course you could go with the cheaper 27" model for the screen one and get the more expensive options on the one you'd actually use as your main machine.

The only negative side I see here is how hard it still is to change the HD in the iMac. I really want a Samsung 256GB SDD as my main HD (no, I don't need a terabyte).

[TenoBell]

That 30" price is the old price from years ago, Apple has never changed it. Today that monitor would be $1499 tops.

Originally Posted by alandail

The computer is basically free. The 27" iMac costs less than the 30" cinema HD display. Is another 160 vertical pixels worth another $100?

[cmf2]

Originally Posted by TenoBell

That 30" price is the old price from years ago, Apple has never changed it. Today that monitor would be $1499 tops.

It also isn't LED backlit, which would drive the price back up. Either way, it appears to be in the middle with regard to price for a 30" IPS panel right now.

http://www.pchardwarehelp.com/guides/s-ips-lcd-list.php

[Dick Applebaum]

Originally Posted by BenRoethig

Problem is that you'd need an non all-in-one as your new one.

Why? Use an AIO as a display connected to your AIO!

[Dick Applebaum]

Originally Posted by cdifferent

Ever since I read this about this feature, I've been struggling to understand what its real value is - whats the killer scenario. After all, if I have a powerful notebook, I'm not going to run out and buy a new desktop, just so I can get more screen resolution, I'd buy a monitor, not a whole new computer. But then I started to think, what if I had a device with a small screen and not so great computing power that I mostly used away from my desk- like a tablet or a netbook. Then I would have the need to buy a second more powerful computer with a monitor I could plug into and possibly leverage the keyboard and mouse connected to that computer for my portable device. That seems like a more reasonable scenario to me.

Exactly! The AIO display could be a peripheral to a La Tableta.

And the La Tableta could be a peripheral to the AIO.

Co-Peripherals = synergy!

*

[dmon]

With the amount of time and development Apple has put into the screens on these new iMacs (bezel-less glass, high quality LED screens, very low price, etc.) it makes me think that new Cinema Displays can't be far off. Considering the 30" display hasn't been updated in years I wonder if they are planning something quite a bit different than just a thinner dumb display with slightly higher specs.

Traditionally, Apple has introduced new Cinema Displays in conjunction with new PowerMacs - which were the natural counterparts - but I wonder if they're shifting the focus and going to pair them with the features in a new Apple TV. They are called Cinema Displays after all. Of course they could build the Apple TV functionality directly into the display itself... but I'm not sure how much different that would be from a 30" iMac and Apple doesn't like to have too much overlap between product categories.

[Dick Applebaum]

Originally Posted by crackedpot

These new iMacs are still missing multi-touch and Blu-Ray although this feature seems to be their answer to BluRay for now. Please give us multi-touch and with the convenient new release of Windows 7 coinciding it seems quite unfortunate.

Originally Posted by malax

Keep your fingers off my screen or I'll have to yell at you. No multitouch on the desktop, thank you. Besides that's ergonomically awful (having to reach over your keyboard and desktop to interact with the screen). If you want it for kiosk mode, there are add-ons for that.

I am now convinced that MultiTouch will [first] come to the Mac as a [stand-alone] Tablet [computer] that can be used as a peripheral to another computer... even a PC.

*

[solipsism]

With the new ratio I don’t think Apple’s main intention here with the 27” iMac was for notebooks using the iMac as a 2nd display, while the iMac proper is not in use. I think this is meant for media appliances to be connected to it. Otherwise, why not put a powerpassthrough like on the 24” Apple LED Display and sell a cable that combines the MagSafe and DP-to-mDP for simplisity.

Originally Posted by walshbj

Can you use it as a display with its computer parts sleeping??

Can you use it while the iMac proper is actually off? While it auto sense video input and turn on the display? How do you switch display inputs?

Originally Posted by crackedpot

basically it seems to bypass the computer alltogether when using it as an external monitor. In other words the screen is connected to your alternate device but the computer is not, you would then have to get a video capturing device over firewire or usb.

Any DVR with HDMI would work here, especially the ones with Ethernet so you can then send files to your PC for editing.

Originally Posted by anantksundaram

I am getting tired of the whining re. Blu-Ray. If you need it/want it so badly, why the heck don't you just buy it and hook it up to your iMac!? If it's cheap, it's a no-brainer to do so; if it's not, it's silly of you to expect that Apple will include it and pass that cost on to a buyer who (like me, and apparently millions of others) may not want it.

I’m pretty sick of it, too. Each release we get more crybabies when the reality should be setting in for some that Apple does not see it as a viable evolution of data storage on PCs.

Originally Posted by Emvee

Wouldn't this one do the trick? http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2

It would, but the input is DisplayPort, while the output is mini-DisplayPort, so look for the even more common (male)DP-to-(male)HDMI cable.

[bird24]

I have been a pc user my entire life and purchased an iphone two months ago. I was so impressed that I took the time to look a imac's at a retail store. Fell in love with them and decided to purchase one when I heard about these new imac's. My questions is as follows:
Which system would perform faster, 3.33 Ghz with a dual core or a 2.8Ghz with a quad core i7? Obviously the assumption is with the same video card, ram, etc. Thanks