Apple ponies up free Mini DisplayPort spec licenses
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted December 1st 2008 10:42PM
posted December 1st 2008 10:42PM
Apple has just announced that -- in addition to shipping all new computers with the Mini DisplayPort -- they're offering no-fee licenses to companies that develop products utilizing the connection, hoping to create a de facto standard. Of course, the VESA-approved DisplayPort hasn't been widely adopted, so it remains to be seen whether its miniature sibling will ever take off. At any rate, it looks like the company might have learned a thing or two back in the day, when FireWire's steep licensing fees slowed its progress as a serious contender to USB. You hear that, hardware developers? You can be part of Apple's latest obscure connector revolution -- for absolutely nothing.
[Via Ars Technica]
[Via Ars Technica]
how about some free adapters for the new macbooks, hmm??
seconded. DVI and VGA adapters should be included and free, at least on the pros.
Apple has a history history of doing their "own" video adapter standards. It's always been a bad idea. It's probably a bad idea this time around, too. Anyone remember ADC? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Display_Connector
One thing I don't really understand - does this mini DisplayPort come with a mini-to-normal-size cable? E.g. is it compatible with a Dell DisplayPort display? If so it's not really all that bad...
Totally agreed. I've bought 2 Apple laptops over the past 6-years and they've both come with the adaptor cables necessary in the box. Now you have to buy them separately and that sucks.
Even as tempting as that is, I still doubt anyone will take advantage of it.
At first I was thinking "Netbooks" but then again, the point of those is simplicity. Using an obscure display port would defeat the purpose.
Please stop using "utilize" and all its variations. It makes you sound like a dumb person trying to sound smart. "Use" is still a word and it usually fits the context better.
*fanboy comment*
at lease it is something...
and HDMI is a limited standard...
This is more than a lot of developers do
Great, just what we needed.....another non-standard port AND it's only a friction fit instead of something secure like DVI. I don't get it.
I'm guessing that the "Free" license won't be extended to companies making a mini-display-port to HDMI adapter. Or the ones that strip off HDCP, or convert to Analog.
Yeah, "free" isn't really free. It just means you play by their rules, and they can revoke your right to use it at any moment, with or without cause. Hmm....competing too much? License gone.
Three cheers for proprietary bullshit!
Seriously though, I hope DisplayPort goes down in flames.
I don't see why any reasonable person would be complaining about a smaller connector size. There are so few computers shipping with display port that it's actually possible that Apple's computers with mini display port are outselling PC's with standard connector. Almost everything is either on VGA, DVI at the moment, and manufacturers are going to pick a successor on it's merits, not how it's marketed. Unless there are a ton of standard Displayport products already being mass produced, on their way to stores (because altering a design to use the smaller connector isn't exactly a difficult task, it is electrically compatible after all), there is simply no real reason not to use the smaller connector. You know, if anything, people should be complaining about why the connector wasn't designed to be smaller in the first place. Even if you think it's small enough as it is, hey, that space could go to an extra port.
"There are so few computers shipping with display port that it's actually possible that Apple's computers with mini display port are outselling PC's with standard connector. "
That's a really good point. I'd actually call it a fact, rather than a possibility. Apple is the #2 or 3 laptop maker in the world in terms of volume, and now _all_ their laptops ship with mini DisplayPort. I don't see any other bread-and-butter lines of other manufacturers ship with DP. Lots of them don't even have DVI.
Hmm... this is actually the only reason I can see why Apple would do this. Give it 6 months and the majority of PD-equipped devices will be mini-DP, make the license free and you have basically created a standard.
And then, when you have manufacturers over a barrel, raise the price of the licence and PROFIT!
I'm not surprised that they decided to do this, but I am a little surprised that some of the readers here can't see it for what it is: a brazen attempt to make money in an unethical way.
"Apple is the #2 or 3 laptop maker in the world "
LOL
Hardly, more like seventh or eighth.
http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/06/13/apple-ranks-7th-in-notebook-sales-worldwide
Looks like 7th, just narrowly ahead of Asus for now with >5% market share.
Wasn't Apple's FireWire port license fee 25cents per port per device? Doesn't seem THAT steep to me for volume devices, it was adopted by all the camcorder makers, but yea - it would be nice if Apple would just suck it up and stop trying to re-invent the wheel (apple monitor connector instead of VGA - AAUI instead of Ethernet - ADC instead of DVI)
25 cents is a lot in a business that thrives on volume.
So if connectors can be made in a "mini" version with the same functionality then why do the larger versions even exist?
Same reason food companies INSIST that the diet/non-fat versions of their products taste the same but continue to sell the original anyway.
Market segmentation for the win.
or
Why does FUNAI make DVD players under so many different brand names at different price points...its all sh1t.
F*** that, companies should tell Apple go f***off.
I miss DVI and Mini DVI. Things were so simple back in the day.
You don't think a DisplayPort-DVI or DisplayPort-HDMI adapter will be made anytime soon, will it?
Oh, god. No!
I hope this doesn't take off! Sure, it's free for now... but once it takes off Apples going to frak everyone. The same way they have with their iPods.
Apple: Upgrade the firmware for no charge? Why would you want to do that when you can PAY for firmware upgrades and buy NEW hardware every year?
Consumers: That's a great idea. Please take our bags of money!
Techies: No! It's a trap
Apple: Release the fan boys! Somebody call Engadget!
Engadget: Let's post stories that laugh at the Zune and worship Apple products!
Fanbois: Apple stories on Engadget.com! Let spam their forum with our praise for Saint Jobs!
Engadget: Profit!!!11!
Techies: Argghhhh! Spam everywhere! /quit
I agree with what somebody else said. Since DisplayPort has not been widely adopted yet, Apple could potentially make it the standard by putting it on all their notebooks. I mean, Apple may have a small market share, but when the entire line of notebooks has one thing in common, it has a dent in the market. Look at built-in webcams? How many laptops had those before Apple decided to put them in all their laptops? While I agree with compatibility, there is really so little to be compatible with at this point, mini-DP vs. the normal connector isn't much of a fight. It will be interesting to see if Apple takes it's desktop machines to mini-DP
The glass half full side of me is thinking that just maybe apple bought out the mini display port connector as a precursor to its adoption in later iphones and ipods just like we have mini usb for cellphones. Then again they didn't need to bring out now for laptops.
“You hear that, hardware developers? You can be part of Apple's latest obscure connector revolution -- for absolutely nothing.”
Yeah, for absolutely nothing – well, except for having the full DisplayPort feature set in a much smaller package. This is especially useful for small devices like notebooks. Actually, there is no real benefit to choose the normal DisplayPort connector over Apples improved Mini DisplayPort form factor, so bashing is not really appropriate here.
I beg the gods of hardware heaven to have apple fail with this endeavor. For humans not intelligent enough to learn from past mistakes there is no place on earth.
This "idea" has failure written all over it. First its a display port standard from apple. Something they have tried at least two times already without any kind of success - just leaving a lot of customers in the dust with exotic connectors that you can not buy any adaptors for anymore (I still have a fully functioning G5 with three adaptors dangling on its back just to get to VGA because a ADC to VGA adaptor is hugely expensive and hard to come by (so its ADC to DVI to VGA) . Secondly - I would be all over this spec if they actually managed to improve upon a spec that is far more versatile and robustly designed to begin with - HDMI. They could be in heaven if they would have made display port not broken by design and integrating degrading DRM in it. You know make it the antithesis of HDMI. But but what they do is try to release a new spec just after they have been blasted with criticism all over the netosphere about their inclusion of DRM so this is a now a hostile market and they think anyone is picking in up? HDMI - while having the same DRM problems at least does not have a marketing problem at the same time. Oh and what about freaking audio? At least the novelty of the failed ADC adaptor was to reduce cable clutter. Now apples "mini" version of the "standard display port" is ommiting the audio spec so you still have to add an audio cable to your clinical clean apple desk? (nothing I mind personally I would like to add - cable clutter has its charme ;)
It will be an epic failure again and I am totally unsure why Apple is putting itself in the same hot waters again as they must have learned from ADC at least a tiny bit - and ADC had a LOT more going for it then the miniDisplayPort.
Am I the only one that's really not bothered by this proprietary port, rather than an HDMI port, all that much? LOL
My old macbook has a mini-DVI port. Being someone who routinely (every single day) hooks his computer up to his plasma, I prefer this type of connection over a more standard DVI or VGA port for the simple reason that you don't have to screw the cable into the port; it just clicks in, taking all of 0.5 seconds.
Anyone who routinely plugs devices in via a DVI or VGA connection realizes that it takes much longer to pop the cable in, and then screw down not just one, but two screws on the sides.
It seems I'm in the minority here, but $30 isn't a deal breaker for me, when it comes to plugging one $1k+ device into another. It SHOULD be included though. bastards.
HDMI is limited to 1080p (i think) so if it had HDMI, I couldn't even hook it up to my 24" LCD and run it at native res. I'd rather spend $30 than have to make that sacrifice.
I'm really not trying to be a fanboi/apologist here. I realize that regular-sized displayport is roughly the size of a usb plug, and would not require the chassis of the macbook to be thicker whatsoever. It's yet another stupid anti-standardization ploy by Apple, and that does leave a bad taste in my mouth.
But if the $30 dongle were included, I would have absolutely no problem with any of this.
As is, it's a minor annoyance, but certainly not a deal breaker. Losing firewire is another thing I don't care about, though I have exactly zero firewire peripherals, and I won't be in the market for another computer until well after USB 3.0 comes out. Who knows what new type of external display interface they'll have by then!
HDMI 1.3 supports WQXGA (2560x1600) across a single digital link.
somebody please remind us why the hell they got rid of DVI ports in the first place...
We're so on this. I've been waiting for that stupid MDP to Dual-Link DVI adapter so I can buy a new MBP and use it with my 30" cinema display. Maybe now we can just manufacture our own :)