Apple teases Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter (update)
By Darren Murph 
posted April 13th 2010 12:02PM
posted April 13th 2010 12:02PM
Wait a second, can it be true? Is Apple really caving to the pressures of supporting a socket that's used by pretty much every home entertainment owner ever? In the Tech Specs section that went up with this morning's MacBook Pro refresh, there's a fourth video output listed: "HDMI output using Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter (optional)." That's the first mention we've seen of such a cable from Apple itself; to date, users have had to rely on third-party solutions in order to get an HDMI connector from the Mini DisplayPort. Of course, we're guessing those alternatives sold at Monoprice will best Apple's in terms of price, but as of now, the company has yet to even reserve a product portal within its store. Let's just go ahead and call it: $29.99, shipping in May. Feel better?[Thanks, Arnav]
Update: Ars Technica has it that Apple actually won't be making its own adapter; instead, these new machines will simply support audio pass-through with the aforesaid third-party dongles. Glad that's cleared up!
Sweet, and HDMI adapter.
*snore*
@PastorTom
Thanks for catching up to every other manufacturer who has this built-in to (99%) all their products.
...........wait nvm, you STILL havnt released it, Apple you big tease!
@abedinthehouse
Peer pressure is great!
@PastorTom
ill stick with my HDX18 and enjoy hdmi built in WITHOUT the need for buying extra crap
Apple invented the HDMI Adapter!
uh, right? No way Engadget would post a pointless article about Apple unless it was something incredibly profound?
To set sarcasm aside - Endgaget, I am fine with Apple news. I like it when it is real news. But right now, do you think you could refrain from giving Apple free press? This article would be fine over on TUAW.
With the constant dwindling corporate ethics among Apple (and many other corps), I'd rather not see Apple getting all this micro press. How about we just ignore them for a while? If they actually release something new, write a story. Otherwise, fluff articles about what apps you can get for the iPad, what accessories are available, etc... is just free Apple marketing.
@PastorTom No Joke how does this possibly rate as news these adapters have been around on the cheap for years. Does just anything even remotely related to apple get top billing.
Here is where I bought mine over a year ago:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10428&cs_id=1042802&p_id=5311&seq=1&format=2
@Anatidae im sure they just post this stuff so we have some amusement. Without Engadget I just would think Apple has something like HDMI built in, and MacBooks are available with i5/i7 processors. Thanks Engadget for showing me why I cant (under)stand (people loving/buying) Apple. Before reading engadget I just thought they are overpriced, now i know they are outdated too.
@Anatidae
The don't read it this site or exclude Apple in the tags, it's that simple. Too much whining and biatching these days.
@Kaboof Nothing like spreading myths around that have been debunked for years.
@abedinthehouse
I thought we all knew this by now? The business model for Apple is that all current standards of the given year are optional/additional purchases to the end user.
Maybe when the next successor of HDMI arrives, HDMI will be standard on MBPs.
@Anatidae If you don't want to see more of something, DON'T COMMENT ON IT!
Apple posts seem to always get 50+ comments, and even if 90% of them are variations of 'I hate Apple,' increased revenue from page views and ad impressions = more articles about Apple.
@PastorTom
The news coverage is fair.
Let's see, yesterday Microsoft announced two new devices and a completely new UI built off an un-released OS. The devices figure to be huge as they walk in the footsteps of the massively popular Sidekick. There were several articles about the Kin yesterday covering the release.
Now we move to today. As of 11:10 AM PST I count SEVEN Apple articles. Some are about minor refreshes to the Mac Books, we have posts about a phone dock, a display port adapter, and some other miscellaneous crap. All in all, a pretty typical day for Apple.
For Microsoft - following up on their huge announcement yesterday - we get exactly 2 posts. One mocking the Kin, the other pointing to a "flaw".
Engadget will always get fanboys who claim their product is slighted on a regular basis. Most of the criticism seems unfounded. But then you look at the overall coverage numbers AND tone of the writing and it's hard to argue that Engadget writers aren't firmly in Apple's pocket.
@Soljin These guys sell a cheap mini displayport to HDMI adapter too. Looks like the exact same unit, just without the Monoprice logo painted on it:
http://sewelldirect.com/Mini-DisplayPort-to-HDMI.asp
I'm so sick of Apple ripping us off with their insanely overpriced adapters, but I guess there is a large enough part of the population that falls victim to the myth that apple-made accessories are somehow superior to third party options.
@Anatidae Yes, I TOTALLY agree.
When iPad came out, Engadget made BIG deal about HTML5 and Flash. Now they don't even talk about Adobe Flash CS5 can export to HTML5 canvas.
I dropped Gizmodo caz it look exactly apple's puppy.
I used to go 10 tech blogs, now it become 4.
@skyblaze Ditto with my HDX16. =)
@Anatidae
thank goodness WE don't really care what YOU would like to see- because that's besides the point of serving an..
AUDIENCE.
cmon, ill sell u a clue.
and DUH, they are posting about somt0ehing all ya complainers/whiners/crybabies have been complaining/whining/crying about. Sheesh.
I guess Apple still doesn't have much of an interest in HDMI. Then again, they still don't have any interest in BluRay either, so... ;-)
@THJ "I hate Microsoft."
@Anatidae *wipes away tear* can be hugs tiem now?
Awesome, more Apple news about HDMI connectors!
Killer!
How can there be more news about Apple and it's HDMI connectors DoctarPeppar? This is their first time releasing anything HDMI related in their laptops. I sense great weakness in your logic
@Lord Vader
Vader your comments stopped being funny about a month ago.
They're just old now :P
You are unwise to anger a sith lord DoctarPeppar...
@DoctarPeppar
reading posts by Lord Vader, Jonathan Ives and Emmett Brown are some of the few joys I get in life...
@Lord Vader No really, you're not funny.
@Steve2000 You will pay for that, slave
@Lord Vader
I can't front... imagining Darth Vader speaks the name 'Doctar Peppar' is pretty damn hilarious.
@Hate Everything And imagining Tom "The Forth Doctor" Baker saying "In future, when I'm explaining something to you at like 90 miles per hour, try not to drool on your shirt. There's a good companion." is rather hard, too. That is, until you encounter a web site like *this* one:
http://www.tombakersays.com/random.html
Ah, but I digress...
"$29.99, shipping in May" from the Apple store... Ouch!
"$9.99, shipping in June" from monoprice... Thumbsup!
@rock99rock REDUX
I love monoprice.
This is just a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter, without audio, right? If so, what's the big deal? I bought one of those online a year ago for $12. Works fine. No, if they somehow crammed an audio signal in there TOO, then I'd be excited.
@rock99rock REDUX
I think it's even less at monoprice. I don't know if I caught a sale or not, but I remember it was less than 6 bucks. It was less than $15 for the adapter and a high quality orange HDMI cable shipped.
Or you could pay a crazy amount at an apple store....
@onemadrssn
I wouldn't be surprised at the lower price, I was just guessing :) BTW, there is no such thing as a high quality HDMI cable, unless of course it is capable of shooting lightning bolts from its arse.
@Smart People Play Tuba
Apple clearly put the HDMI adapter under "video output" and list nothing for the mDP port under audio output so I have no idea what Engadget is on about.
@rock99rock REDUX It's $35 at monoprice right now. Mini displayport and USB on one end, HDMI on the other.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10428&cs_id=1042802&p_id=5969&seq=1&format=2
@TheAngryIntern
It's actually $8.55 for the non-usb version here:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10428&cs_id=1042802&p_id=5311&seq=1&format=2
@rock99rock REDUX the adapter I bought cooks me breakfast and walks my cat. I'd consider that pretty high-quality. What are you on about?
Or they could just run HDMI out like a normal company
@Slick
This is the future of Apples Flash Wars with Adobe.
....its proof that Apple doesn't ALWAYS get its way.....kinda, sort of
@Slick I prefer their current method.
Having half a dozen different display outputs on a laptop is rather useless. They take up space, ruin the looks, and in 99.99% of cases you can only use one at a time.
@MikeWard1701 What?
They also list "Stereo speakers with subwoofers" for all the new Macbook Pros. Is this the same as before? If they seriously improved the speaker quality, that, plus the fact that 1680x1050 is available on the 15", may tip the scale for me... :)
i really wish they didnt side with displayport. hdmi makes so much more sense. apples all about keeping the connectors small on the side of the computer, and really hdmi is small enough. and theres mini hdmi!
i do understand them trying to move away from vga, though...
@spasewalkr
I don't know of any monitors that do 2560x1600 over HDMI.
@reallynotnick Exactly. Though I with their dual-link DVI adapter was much, much cheaper.
@reallynotnick 4x is coming - and HDMI will run it. 4K × 2K (3840×2160p at 24Hz/25Hz/30Hz and 4096×2160p at 24Hz) Apple will make some new proprietary crap, and we'll all enjoy ethernet and audio over HDMI on our Windows 7 Laptops...
@spasewalkr
Well When you have a technology you don't have to license and another one you do you tend to lean to the cheaper one.
HDMI $10,000
http://www.hdmi.org/press/pr/pr_20060721.aspx
Mini DisplayPort $0.00
http://developer.apple.com/softwarelicensing/agreements/minidisplayport.html
@ArhcAngel yep, poor apple could never afford that hugh amount of monet to give their customer a connection that "just works (with almost every known device)"
@spasewalkr HDMI is awesome until you get thrown into HDCP (copy protection) hell. DP is an open standard, no built-in CP and can run higher rez than HDMI.
Personally, I use the monoprice HDMI+USB audio adaptor to run Plex off my iMac (product ID 5969). 38 bucks, and it leaves your headphone jack free so you can split your audio (kids can be watching movie via Plex on TV, I can watch a movie on the iMac w/ headphones).
@spasewalkr
wow guys! thanks for the responses. all very valid points!