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Apple sets Mini DisplayPort license free

Monday, December 1, 2008 · 6:16 pm · 42 Comments

“Apple is opening up access to its Mini DisplayPort standard, according to an announcement,” MacNN reports.

“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,” MacNN reports.

“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,” MacNN reports. “Once Apple agrees to the latter the standard is then free to use.”

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Comment Feed

42 Comments

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AA Attendee

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 - 4:20 am · Reply

@ken1w

That theory sounds quite plausible: I hope he’s wrong!
almux

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 - 4:58 am · Reply

It looks like some people don’t know that Firewire was first on Mac… And that PC makers had a hard time to bring to their boxes…
ping

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 - 6:38 am · Reply

AA Attendee: – What is the advantage of this new port, by the way?

Among other things, together with the new chip set it enables all MacBook models to drive up to 30″ screens. DP also allows to drive more than one screen on one output — at least in principle. And there is more…
jtsnyc47

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 - 10:20 am · Reply

@MacGenius
At the risk of providing a few crumbs to the latest anti-Apple troll: if I had 2 guesses about what you did for a living – aside from spewing illiterate chunks of flame-bait on this site – one of them would have a “State Office building” as its setting.
Demon

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 - 10:25 am · Reply

This is the first step in the road for Mini-Display Port being rolled in to the next version of the display port standard.
As Apple is using the Display Port standard and they just miniaturized the connector. One of reasons display Port is not widely used was the size of the connector. Apple wants the Mini Display Port to be a standard so, they’ll promote the development of adapters, cables, monitors and Graphic Cards and in 12 to 24 months when the next round of Display Port standards a reviewed Apple will submit the Miniaturized Display Port for inclusion into the Display Port Standard (if they have not already done this). With some third part adoption and support it’s likely to be approved as a Display Port Standard quickly. Once it’s on the road to being included in the Display Port Standard you’re likely to see a move to Mini Display Port by Nvidia, ATI and Intel but, many of the major PC Vendors will stick with DVI and some will move to HDMI, PC Vendors just don’t like to advance, that’s why they clutched on to VGA for so, long and the Monitor makers got stuck in the middle and ended up supporting both VGA and DVI. Some monitor makers are now starting to also include HDMI Ports too, on their higher end models. Other then Apple, I do not think any of the Monitor Manufactures have removed Analog input support from any of their model lines yet. Sooner, or later, VGA input will be removed from most all monitors.
JoshtheiMacGuy

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 - 10:25 am · Reply

And this means what??????

Nobody is going to follow Apple. People would not follow Adobe with its DNG standard for digital images despite that fact that it would benefit photographers for decades.

We don’t need more new standards that benefit one company. We need universal standards. Why, for example, does every digital camera use a different battery and a different charger. What a pain!
JoshtheiMacGuy

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 - 10:29 am · Reply

Can you spell “F I R E W I R E”??????
VinceH

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 - 10:48 am · Reply

The Mini DisplayPort on the MacBooks *isn’t* just a mini version of DisplayPort.

The Mini DisplayPort connector on the MacBooks has a pin containing analog video. DisplayPort is digital audio and video only. IOW DisplayPort cannot drive a VGA monitor.
thethirdshoe

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 - 11:03 am · Reply

@MacMental – “I’m so over matte.”

I thought you were seeing Steve?!
jas67

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 - 11:28 am · Reply

Jocknerd:

>And I’m sure the license fee will be so outrageous that the >MiniDisplayPort will never show up anywhere other than Apple >products. Sort of like Firewire.

Firewire isn’t an Apple standard, and it is on a lot of non-apple products.

Some notebooks that have it come to mind:
ThinkPad X30,X31,X32,X40,X41,X60,X61,R50,R51,R52,R60
Dell Latitude D800,D810,D630,D820,D820, just to name a few

It also appears standard on many desktops. You can also buy PCCard, PCI, and ExpressCard firewire cards from many vendors. It appears on all MiniDV camcorders (non of which are made by Apple). Need I continue?
3rdKidney

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 - 12:49 pm · Reply

Apple doesn’t charge manufacturers to use firewire. Firewire in now an IEE standard. What Apple does charge for is the use of their trademarked name “FireWire”. As long as you don’t call it firewire, it’s free.

For example. Sony uses the exact same firewire standard, but calls it iLink, thus they don’t pay a dime to implement it on any device they wish.

And as far as mini display port goes, I think it’s a problem when Apple doesn’t open up their standards (or their modifications to an existing standard in this case). This is a good move on their part and manufacturers should jump through a few hoops to make sure their equipment IS compatible with Apple’s gear before marketing it. That’s in everyone’s best interest, the manufacture’s and especially the user’s.

When Apple keeps their standards closed you end up with ADB, ADC, NuBus etc and that’s not good. When standard are made totally free without any checks or hoop jumping, you end up with the endless mess PC user STILL suffer with on MS end. Even recent things like their Plays For Sure, never really played for sure (how ironic).

I have no complaints with Apple’s move on this one.
Lilochris

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 - 3:56 pm · Reply

Using a 12inch iBook G4 1.2Ghz with 768mb of ram.
It’s not lightning fast but it certainly gets by with what ever I throw @ it. Leopard runs just fine in all respects.

Also have a 1.25Ghz Mac Mini G4 with with 1GB ram & it’s even better.

My primary pad is a 17inch 2Ghz iMac Core 2 Duo. I recently upgraded it to 3Gb of Ram. I control my Mac Mini via my iMac with with the Airport Base station. Use it as a backup server.

My biggest complaint really is with my iMac. I feel Leopard should boot up quicker. It takes about 35-45 seconds to boot with Leopard. When it had tiger, it booted up in about 19 seconds even with bootcamp installed.
LooK>>>>>>>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiK7l8cpqPU
No Sale

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 - 4:26 pm · Reply

Wow, licensing a new type of plug for an already standardized interface. Who’s going to pay for that?
Old Technology

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 - 4:30 pm · Reply

“Actually, Apple does own Firewire.”

Which these days is like owning a buggy whip design patent.
VinceH

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 - 4:31 pm · Reply

Didn’t you read my comment above? The Mini DisplayPort is *not* just a miniature DisplayPort. It also includes a very non-standard analog video out pin, thus supporting VGA displays.
JoshtheiMacGuy

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 - 10:36 pm · Reply

Apple left a lot of FireWire users up the creek with its new Macbooks. Why would anybody, having experienced that event, want to buy into another proprietary non-standard port?
Old Technology

Thursday, December 4, 2008 - 12:40 pm · Reply

“The Mini DisplayPort is *not* just a miniature DisplayPort. It also includes a very non-standard analog video out pin, thus supporting VGA displays.”

In 2008 that sounds like a very wasted pin. Especially if you have to redesign the monitor to use it. So this is the buggy whip of miniature display connectors?
@Kid Knee

Thursday, December 4, 2008 - 12:52 pm · Reply

“Sony uses the exact same firewire standard, but calls it iLink, thus they don’t pay a dime to implement it on any device they wish.”

Using a different marketing name for it doesn’t absolve them from paying royalties, and iLink is vanishing from Sony’s newer prosumer cameras. it truly is the buggy whip of data interfaces.

“I have no complaints with Apple’s move on this one.”

Except that nobody will implement it. Nobody’s going to license a connector design that they could design a license free variant of in a week and publish as an open standard from Steve “Is that my jackboot on your neck” Jobs.
VinceH

Thursday, December 4, 2008 - 1:48 pm · Reply

“In 2008 that sounds like a very wasted pin. Especially if you have to redesign the monitor to use it. So this is the buggy whip of miniature display connectors?”

You miss the point. Apple included the analog video pin into the Mini DisplayPort connector so that the MacBooks could drive VGA monitors. Without it you’re up for a very expensive Digital-to-Analog video converter as an accessory. Apple’s solution is to sell you a $29.00 Mini DP-to-VGA Adapter so you can drive VGA monitors, projectors, etc. They also sell a Mini DP-to-DVI adapter for the same price. If you assume that the DisplayPort will become the standard video interface then the analog pin is included for “backward compatibility.”
Open Standards

Thursday, December 4, 2008 - 6:23 pm · Reply

“Without it you’re up for a very expensive Digital-to-Analog video converter as an accessory. “

So instead we’re good with a very expensive Apple to standard connector adapter?

“If you assume that the DisplayPort will become the standard video interface then the analog pin is included for “backward compatibility.”"

How about we assume the PC industry stays happy with the mini HDMI connector and ignores Apple’s “innovation”, or if it takes up DisplayPort, it designs it’s own open mini connector not owned by a company known for its fascist intellectual property policies.

Now if Apple put this in the public domain, that would be different. And after all what’s to lose, they don’t own the DisplayPort standard, just the design of this small connector for it.