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No 5k thunderbolt display?

What the ****? Those of us who are Apple's biggest customers (paid $10k for a Mac Pro) who need it the most (do video editing) don't get a 5k display? Very disappointed.

Mac Pro, OS X Mavericks (10.9.5)

Posted on Oct 16, 2014 11:41 AM

Reply
36 replies

Oct 16, 2014 11:52 AM in response to Kendall84

Now I realize there are some reasons there isn't a 5k display thunderbolt display yet like:

  • Mac laptops probably don't have good enough video cards to support it
  • The thunderbolt 1 port might not be able to support the resolution
  • Apple's production capacity couldn't support two new 5k devices
  • Demand for iMacs is much greater than demand for thunderbolt display and Mac Pros
  • Apple's engineers were too busy creating iphone6, iphone6+, apple watch, ipad mini 3, ipad air 2, and didn't get around to it.

But I'm still angry!

Oct 16, 2014 11:54 AM in response to Kendall84

I feel your pain. I simply want a 27 inch with USB 3 ports to connect my 13 inch MB Pro and also got zip. This is getting VERY annoying frankly. In your case it is even worse. I guess they figure you have to buy the new iMac and connect it with Thunderbolt and use it as a display. Silly IMO but I'm wondering about doing just that since the iMac I have is a 2009 and one iteration too old to connect.


I can't believe that I'm thinking about buying a third party display but I'm getting darn close to doing just that.


GR

Oct 16, 2014 12:21 PM in response to Kendall84

Just did a little more research,


It looks like thunderbolt 2 can only support up to a 4k resolution anyway. Even the new 5k iMacs can only run up to 4k on an external monitor.


So Apple can only release a 4k thunderbolt display at best. And since Apple can't just take the 5k display from the iMac and put it in a stand alone monitor I don't think we'll see a 4k thunderbolt display soon.


So the stupid thing Apple did was opt for a 5k display in the iMac (instead of a 4k display) just so their marketing department could say, "it's BETTER than 4k!!!" But they screwed over mac users because now Mac Users can't use Target Display Mode into their 5k iMacs at native resolution (because thunderbolt can't support it) and they also can't produce a 5k thunderbolt display.


But if apple had produced a 4k iMac then it WOULD support Target Display Mode at native resolution AND they could have produced a 4k thunderbolt 2 display. I hate them so much right now.

Oct 17, 2014 3:46 AM in response to grandriver

So we just had the final Apple Event of the year and it has brought us a bunch of undeniably great things, most special of all is the new 5K (high end) iMac, among many.


Now as great as this all sounds, surely I’m not alone when I say “Where the heck was / is the Retina 5K Thunderbolt 2 Apple Display?”.


MacPro and MacBook Pro users like myself have been waiting and age for this update, heck I’ve been holding out for almost 2 years!!!!!


Where is the sense in releasing Thunderbolt 2 compatible products like the MacPro and MacBook Pro’s and not provide a new compatible display which acts as a hub, just like the current but old Thunderbolt 1 Apple display, now to only throw a beautiful 5K iMac in the faces of professionals who do not require an all-in-one desktop machine.


Biggest letdown from Apple ever in my opinion.


I’m now considering the following:


LG 34UC97 CURVED Ultrawide QHD IPS Monitor

http://www.lg.com/uk/monitors/lg-34UM95


LG 34UM95 Ultrawide QHD IPS Monitor

http://www.lg.com/uk/monitors/lg-34UM95

Oct 17, 2014 11:57 AM in response to mrrawhite

Who would they market a 5k display to? 5k requires 27 gbits/s, which exceeds the current bandwidth capabilities of Thunderbolt 2's 20 gbits/s. I imagine there could be a TB 3 in the future with 40 gbits/s, but who knows. MacBooks don't have enough hp to utilize anything beyond TB 1 currently anyway, kind of like hooking up a VHS to an HDTV if you will. Sure, I'd love to have that 5k monitor to replace my TB monitor, but I don't have anything that outputs that kind of resolution and I doubt there are many who do.

Oct 17, 2014 12:24 PM in response to TMDawn

The very least they could have given us is an updated Monitor for the pro users. I hope that they do in the coming weeks. I am still rocking the original cinema display here from 2005 or so and I am ready to upgrade to something that can accurately handle the newer 4K workflows. They have to respect the pro level users who are a big part of their core establishment. Give us a new monitor offering please.

Oct 22, 2014 3:38 PM in response to Kendall84

It seems very silly to me that people are complaining about the iMac being 5K instead of 4K because they want a monitor. Making the iMac 4K would mean that the effective default resolution was 1920x1080p, which is a huge step down from the 2560x1440 resolution of the non-retina 27" apple displays and would put the premium expensive iMac on a par with the 21" model.


We all want retina thunderbolt displays, but the technology isn't there yet, you will just have to be patient until Intel releases Skylake CPU/GPU packages and Thunderbolt 3 controllers. It's scheduled for late 2015, so expect to see 5K thunderbolt 3 monitors some time after that.


It would have been crazy to completely hobble the 27" iMac just for the sake of the thunderbolt display.

Oct 22, 2014 4:00 PM in response to cmsj

Fine BUT, my complaint is that I've been waiting for the existing Thunderbolt display to switch to USB 3 ports. Tell me, what can be so darn difficult that they have not made that upgrade to this point. I found one display that has good quality and 6 USB 3 ports.


Now I'm trying to decide whether or not I go for a third party display (and there a lot of good ones out there) or just bite the bullet and get the current 27 inch with USB 2. It PO"s me to have to do that.


GR

Oct 22, 2014 4:08 PM in response to grandriver

Apple could indeed easily have refreshed the current TB display to have USB3 and it's a shame they haven't. I got sufficiently annoyed with not having USB3 ports, or enough USB ports in general, that I put an Elgato Thunderbolt Dock on a shelf on the back of my TB display, giving me the three USB2 ports on the display itself, for things that can't use USB3, and three USB3 ports on the dock, for things that can. Quite an expensive solution to get 3 USB3 ports and a headphone socket, but there we go.

No 5k thunderbolt display?

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