12/01/2008, 5:20pm, EST
Monday, December 1st
Apple makes Mini DisplayPort license free
Apple is opening up access to its Mini DisplayPort standard, according to an announcement. Though Apple did not develop DisplayPort proper, the company has created a more compact version of the technology to accompany its new unibody MacBooks, as well as the revised 24-inch Cinema Display. Hardware makers looking to build peripherals compatible with the standard -- most likely third-party monitors and video cards -- must apply first for an evaluation license, and then for a separate implementation one. Once Apple agrees to the latter the standard is then free to use.
The two main limitations are that individual products may require specific trademark agreements, and that any suggested corrections to the standard must be submitted to Apple, which then can reproduce them without owing royalties.
DisplayPort is intended as an eventual replacement for DVI, and is being integrated into a growing number of displays and graphics hardware. Its primary advantages are a smaller design, and two-way interaction, which may for instance allow buttons on an LCD to change software settings. Apple has received criticism for its use of HDCP in Mini DisplayPort however, which may block iTunes content from being shown on some external screens.
Filed under: industry, peripherals, digital imaging, Apple
Other story tags: DisplayPort
, 
, 7
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
Top
subscribe to comments
for this article
Apple should be lauded
Finally, someone in the industry is killing off the old and physically hefty interfaces required to connect laptops to computer screens. None of the previous standards were well-implemented. By lowering the financial bar for industry adoption, Apple is doing all of us a favor.
I guess it's okay...
to introduce new standards but only if other computer manufacturers are willing to go along. For me to buy a new cable isn't that big a deal as long as it's not too expensive. Nothing wrong with having a smaller interface and a thinner cable. I just hope Apple isn't the only company using this new standard and all the rest of the industry will be using something else.
Free Standard
Firewire lost out to USB b/c of it's cost. You really can't do too much more than make the interface free to promote it.
"new standard"
Bear in mind that USB wasn't moving very fast in the computer world until the iMac came out, and you had no choice but to use USB devices.
Re: Apple should be
Finally, someone in the industry is killing off the old and physically hefty interfaces required to connect laptops to computer screens.
Yes, Dell! Oh, wait, you meant Apple, who is following Dell into the DisplayPort realm?
Oh, and Apple, who decided they needed to make 'another' standard, rather than use the existing one.
The question is how many companies are going to jump on board to the mini version of the interface. Because if it is just Apple on the computer side, there isn't going to be many on the monitor side.
Re: "new standard"
Bear in mind that USB wasn't moving very fast in the computer world until the iMac came out, and you had no choice but to use USB devices.
Yes, because a company with a 1% market share could get the entire industry moving to USB.
USB was moving fast on integration in PCs, the problem was there wasn't any decent support for it until Win 98 came out. That's what really helped it launch.
oh
And while it is supposedly a 'standard', and the license is 'free', it still has to be approved by Apple before you can use it.