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I've been assuming this is what Apple is going to do with the next MBP retina. Intel graphics when headless + a new Thunderbolt Display with built-in Nvidia or

I've been assuming this is what Apple is going to do with the next MBP retina. Intel graphics when headless + a new Thunderbolt Display with built-in Nvidia or ATI card when "docked."

ckluis 13y ago
Partially agree. I assume Apple wants to go down the truly portable route and offer an addon graphics card in the size and shape of either an airport extreme or apple tv/mini. This would allow someone with a mini to stack a graphics card under it and have the graphics card inbetween the mini & any other screen.
- Shivetya 13y ago
  I am/was hoping thunderbolt would provide me the equivalent of a docking station set up for Apple laptops. Hooking up one cable is an acceptable alternative to a docking station. My last Apple laptop setup required four plug ins, monitor, power, keyboard, and mouse. Yeah I know I could wireless the mouse/keyboard but that isn't the point.
  - jfb 13y ago
    Apple already sells a Thunderbolt docking station, with a very nice 27" display built in.
    - roc 13y ago
      Personally I think baking the GPU power into the displays themselves is the more Apple-y approach. As opposed to some sort of additional-stackable-boxes solution. (Which I'd love to see; I just don't see Apple doing it.)
      - grecy 13y ago
        > Personally I think baking the GPU power into the displays themselves is the more Apple-y approach. I don't agree. Any Monitor with built in GPU won't make sense with the new Mac Pro, which (I think) will be the driving force for the new (likely 4K) Thunderbolt cinema displays.
        roc 13y ago
        But without the GPU what Apple machines other than Mac Pros will decently drive a 4k display? [1] Apple's left the Pro line to languish for so long, I can't imagine they'd let it limit their ability to differentiate in the larger display business. [1] And of those upgraded MBPs that could hit 4k aren't going to be able to do it on two displays, which is quite popular.
      - barrkel 13y ago
        GPUs become obsolete way faster than monitors.
        roc 13y ago
        Are you trying to say Apple wouldn't put GPUs in displays because it might accelerate the display upgrade cycle?
        barrkel 13y ago
        I'm trying to say that customers aren't quite stupid enough to invest in a display that they'll throw out 18 months later.
        roc 13y ago
        In a product line-up where a new GPU requires an entire new machine, merely having to replace a display would actually be an improvement. Not that people with those sorts of interests, even when Apple customers, rely on Apple hardware to serve those interests.
        sneak 13y ago
        As long as it can be used with a pass-through Thunderbolt mode, it would still be perfectly usable as a display/port expander without using the internal GPU, should you buy a faster machine. Also, Apple stuff seems to last damn near forever, so it'll hold a lot of resale value (even if the GPU is two years old) for those who want to upgrade.
    - tsmarsh 13y ago
      It would be great if that docking station optionally included an awesome GPU. In the mean time, daisy chaining something like this on to the back looks very interesting.
  - dmix 13y ago
    > monitor, power, keyboard, and mouse + sound Although I use USB hub so 1x usb.
- duaneb 13y ago
  > addon graphics card in the size and shape of either an airport extreme or apple tv/mini Wouldn't the latency remove any substantial merit?
- akandiah 13y ago
  Sony has done this in the past. The add-on wasn't cheap.
frou_dh 13y ago
Checkout Option: [ ] That P stands for "Prosumer", not "Professional", until you add this monitor. + $1299
ChuckMcM 13y ago
I've been wondering something similar. Since you can lock in the 'value add' of the display, and the current Cinema display with TB is pretty full of stuff anyway, that you'd get a display with built in GPU rather than a display which is being sent the pixels. Not sure how that compares bandwidth consumption wise but from the ability for drivers to not recognize non Apple hosts its a total win.
- mahyarm 13y ago
  Your about $400 from an iMac at that point.
  - bobbles 13y ago
    Unless that iMac folds down into a macbook pro when you leave the house that's kind of irrelevant
    - wilg 13y ago
      Well, unless this display comes with a MacBook Pro, I think that's relevant.
randyrand 13y ago
The only issue I see with this is that graphics cards become obsolete much faster than monitors do. I wouldn't want to replace my perfectly good monitor just because the graphics are too slow. The obvious answer is a user replaceable card - but that hardly screams "Apple."
- MBCook 13y ago
  This is what people are used to with laptops, so there is a form of precedent.
- bluedino 13y ago
  Apple wouldn't care - look at the 'ancient' video card in the Mac Pro
vxNsr 13y ago
I would LOVE to see Apple's version of a laptop dock, so far we've only seen kinda ugly all-about-usability docks from the likes of lenovo, nothing aesthetically pleasing, so I think it would be really cool to see what Apple would come up with in this department. For examples of slightly bad ideas look no further than the Thinkpad Helix -- it would work if there was no switch to undock and they could figure out a way to get rid of the whole flap thing...

I've been assuming this is what Apple is going to do with the next MBP retina. Intel graphics when headless + a new Thunderbolt Display with built-in Nvidia or ATI card when "docked."

ckluis 13y ago

Partially agree. I assume Apple wants to go down the truly portable route and offer an addon graphics card in the size and shape of either an airport extreme or apple tv/mini. This would allow someone with a mini to stack a graphics card under it and have the graphics card inbetween the mini & any other screen.

Shivetya 13y ago
I am/was hoping thunderbolt would provide me the equivalent of a docking station set up for Apple laptops. Hooking up one cable is an acceptable alternative to a docking station. My last Apple laptop setup required four plug ins, monitor, power, keyboard, and mouse. Yeah I know I could wireless the mouse/keyboard but that isn't the point.
- jfb 13y ago
  Apple already sells a Thunderbolt docking station, with a very nice 27" display built in.
  - roc 13y ago
    Personally I think baking the GPU power into the displays themselves is the more Apple-y approach. As opposed to some sort of additional-stackable-boxes solution. (Which I'd love to see; I just don't see Apple doing it.)
    - grecy 13y ago
      > Personally I think baking the GPU power into the displays themselves is the more Apple-y approach. I don't agree. Any Monitor with built in GPU won't make sense with the new Mac Pro, which (I think) will be the driving force for the new (likely 4K) Thunderbolt cinema displays.
      - roc 13y ago
        But without the GPU what Apple machines other than Mac Pros will decently drive a 4k display? [1] Apple's left the Pro line to languish for so long, I can't imagine they'd let it limit their ability to differentiate in the larger display business. [1] And of those upgraded MBPs that could hit 4k aren't going to be able to do it on two displays, which is quite popular.
    - barrkel 13y ago
      GPUs become obsolete way faster than monitors.
      - roc 13y ago
        Are you trying to say Apple wouldn't put GPUs in displays because it might accelerate the display upgrade cycle?
        barrkel 13y ago
        I'm trying to say that customers aren't quite stupid enough to invest in a display that they'll throw out 18 months later.
        roc 13y ago
        In a product line-up where a new GPU requires an entire new machine, merely having to replace a display would actually be an improvement. Not that people with those sorts of interests, even when Apple customers, rely on Apple hardware to serve those interests.
        sneak 13y ago
        As long as it can be used with a pass-through Thunderbolt mode, it would still be perfectly usable as a display/port expander without using the internal GPU, should you buy a faster machine. Also, Apple stuff seems to last damn near forever, so it'll hold a lot of resale value (even if the GPU is two years old) for those who want to upgrade.
  - tsmarsh 13y ago
    It would be great if that docking station optionally included an awesome GPU. In the mean time, daisy chaining something like this on to the back looks very interesting.
- dmix 13y ago
  > monitor, power, keyboard, and mouse + sound Although I use USB hub so 1x usb.
duaneb 13y ago
> addon graphics card in the size and shape of either an airport extreme or apple tv/mini Wouldn't the latency remove any substantial merit?
akandiah 13y ago
Sony has done this in the past. The add-on wasn't cheap.

frou_dh 13y ago

Checkout Option: [ ] That P stands for "Prosumer", not "Professional", until you add this monitor. + $1299

ChuckMcM 13y ago

I've been wondering something similar. Since you can lock in the 'value add' of the display, and the current Cinema display with TB is pretty full of stuff anyway, that you'd get a display with built in GPU rather than a display which is being sent the pixels. Not sure how that compares bandwidth consumption wise but from the ability for drivers to not recognize non Apple hosts its a total win.

mahyarm 13y ago
Your about $400 from an iMac at that point.
- bobbles 13y ago
  Unless that iMac folds down into a macbook pro when you leave the house that's kind of irrelevant
  - wilg 13y ago
    Well, unless this display comes with a MacBook Pro, I think that's relevant.

randyrand 13y ago

The only issue I see with this is that graphics cards become obsolete much faster than monitors do. I wouldn't want to replace my perfectly good monitor just because the graphics are too slow. The obvious answer is a user replaceable card - but that hardly screams "Apple."

MBCook 13y ago
This is what people are used to with laptops, so there is a form of precedent.
bluedino 13y ago
Apple wouldn't care - look at the 'ancient' video card in the Mac Pro

vxNsr 13y ago

I would LOVE to see Apple's version of a laptop dock, so far we've only seen kinda ugly all-about-usability docks from the likes of lenovo, nothing aesthetically pleasing, so I think it would be really cool to see what Apple would come up with in this department. For examples of slightly bad ideas look no further than the Thinkpad Helix -- it would work if there was no switch to undock and they could figure out a way to get rid of the whole flap thing...