LG's UltraFine 5K Display gets unboxing treatment in new video
LG's 27-inch UltraFine 5K Display, developed in partnership with Apple to complement the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, received a traditional unboxing on Wednesday ahead of expected public availability in December.
While orders for the standalone monitor are not expected to go live for at least another week, YouTube tech reviewer Marques Brownlee was able to get his hands on a production unit for testing alongside the new Touch Bar MacBook Pro.
Like most unboxing videos, Brownlee offers a basic specifications rundown and reveals bundled accessories which include a power cable, Thunderbolt 3 cable and VESA wall mount. The video also includes a quick setup and hardware feature tour.
As noted by Apple during October's media event, the LG 5K UltraFine acts as a central Thunderbolt 3 hub for the new MacBook Pro lineup. With built-in speakers, three USB 3.1 ports and 85 watts of charging power, the display serves as a suitable replacement for the erstwhile Thunderbolt Display.
Measuring 27 inches on the diagonal, the 5K UltraFine model supports resolutions up to 5,120-by-2,880 with DCI-P3 color, a wide color gamut standard Apple first adopted with the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. The P3 colorspace is now available on the Phone 7 series and current MacBook Pro variants.
The 5K UltraFine Display accompanies a smaller 21.5-inch 4K model that features many of the same trappings, but pares down connectivity to one USB 3.1 port and 60 watts of charging power.
Exclusive to Apple, LG's 4K and 5K UltraFine Displays carry retail prices of $699.95 and $1,299.95, respectively. Earlier this month, however, Apple quietly slashed 25 percent off retail pricing for both models, dropping the 4K model down to $524 and the 5K version to $974. The limited time offer is good through Dec. 31, 2016.
Early preorder customers are already receiving shipments of the 4K model, though current order estimates show a lead time of 5 to 6 weeks. The 5K model is not yet up for purchase, though Apple's website estimates availability in December.
While orders for the standalone monitor are not expected to go live for at least another week, YouTube tech reviewer Marques Brownlee was able to get his hands on a production unit for testing alongside the new Touch Bar MacBook Pro.
Like most unboxing videos, Brownlee offers a basic specifications rundown and reveals bundled accessories which include a power cable, Thunderbolt 3 cable and VESA wall mount. The video also includes a quick setup and hardware feature tour.
As noted by Apple during October's media event, the LG 5K UltraFine acts as a central Thunderbolt 3 hub for the new MacBook Pro lineup. With built-in speakers, three USB 3.1 ports and 85 watts of charging power, the display serves as a suitable replacement for the erstwhile Thunderbolt Display.
Measuring 27 inches on the diagonal, the 5K UltraFine model supports resolutions up to 5,120-by-2,880 with DCI-P3 color, a wide color gamut standard Apple first adopted with the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. The P3 colorspace is now available on the Phone 7 series and current MacBook Pro variants.
The 5K UltraFine Display accompanies a smaller 21.5-inch 4K model that features many of the same trappings, but pares down connectivity to one USB 3.1 port and 60 watts of charging power.
Exclusive to Apple, LG's 4K and 5K UltraFine Displays carry retail prices of $699.95 and $1,299.95, respectively. Earlier this month, however, Apple quietly slashed 25 percent off retail pricing for both models, dropping the 4K model down to $524 and the 5K version to $974. The limited time offer is good through Dec. 31, 2016.
Early preorder customers are already receiving shipments of the 4K model, though current order estimates show a lead time of 5 to 6 weeks. The 5K model is not yet up for purchase, though Apple's website estimates availability in December.
Comments
People will argue vehemently that they need backwards compatibility, then conveniently forget they even said anything when they get access to modern peripherals where they don't need it anymore. Apple is designing for the future, not the past. If you need the past, buy a past machine and don't rant all over the Internet just because you're not ready for the future.
The only rational explanation for why Apple would allow its customers to suffer this letdown is one based on supply. Apple invested five years ago or earlier in the IGZO film backplane LCD technology, but they did so with Sharp. Sharp did release a few sizes of displays that were IGZO-backed, maybe even supplied Apple with some iPad screens, but it was LG that seems to have run with the technology and in fact became the supplier for the 4 and 5K iMacs.
I think LG has only so much IGZO production capacity, and that Apple is at their mercy as to price and quantity, so for the present, LG gets to make some of its investment back and gain some prestige by selling the only oxide-backed, Apple-certified monitors out there. And Apple has to keep quiet about this embarrassing situation.
Oh, and they may have used Nilay Patel as a patsy to cover up the bad news (http://appleinsider.com/articles/16/10/28/apple-suggests-that-it-has-permanently-exited-the-stand-alone-monitor-business) — which may turn out to be temporary, if Foxconn can get Sharp's production up and running. And yes, this is wishful thinking.
Kept having to install a raising stand on my Apple monitors to make them adjustable. This one comes with that functionality built in. Looks smooth too.
New 15-inch Touchbar MBP arriving tomorrow.
Also getting a 65 inch LG OLED TV for our Living Room AV setup. So much better than Samsung.
Just curious.
The thunderbolt display lacked a height adjustable stand, so this one is an improvement in that regard. Apart from that it's about the way it displays content. Color gamut isn't that big of an issue. It's marketing gibberish. Important details are uniformity, white point, shadow detail, and the difference between expected colors and measured colors, regardless of gamut claims. No sane reviewer is going to trash a display based on the appearance of its casing.
Judging by what people have said nobody bought them anyways. Yes, people here have, but the majority of people didn't. I don't see the value in spending $900 on a display that does the same thing a $400 display does. The $900 display may have been fine for serious professionals who can shell out money for 2 or 3 of these, but a general consumer isn't going to spend money on a Mac mini and then buy a $900 display, or spend $2500 on a MacBook Pro and then another $900 on an Apple display.
And, maybe Apple see's more people just using the nice display on they MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac, etc instead of buy an expensive display as well.
This isn't a revenue happy area for Apple so its not worth putting time and effort into something LG (who makes the panel for Apple) can just do for them with some of Apple's assistance. Why would Apple make a display that doesn't sell? This isn't anything new. Why did they stop selling G4 Cubes, Xserves, Xserve RAID Units, AirPorts, etc...because they didn't sell. These are products that were under both Steve and Tim's direction so it has nothing to do with Tim not knowing how to run Apple.