14 DAY TRIAL // Retina display MacBook Pros are a hit. Apple went so far to almost get rid of all the other models that didn't have a high-definition display screen. The MacBook Air is still on the waiting list, but the problem there is related to a long-awaited boost in the CPU that will supposedly help with the battery of a power-hungry screen.
The next logical step for Apple would be to launch a Retina screen iMac and another Retina Apple Display. Taiwanese magazine Digitimes says that the 27-inch iMac with Retina display is actually coming sooner than you’d think. They cite a report from WitsView, a Taiwan-based display researcher. They believe that Apple is about to update the iMac and Thunderbolt display with a 5K screen by the end of 2014.
What we have now
Apple currently sells two iMac models. A 21.5-inch one with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 and a larger, 27-inch diagonal display that sports a 2560 by 1440 resolution. The price for the smaller one is $1,099 (€850.59), and the big one goes as high as $1,999 (€1,547.16). Between the two there's a difference in CPU power, storage capacity, and graphic card.
The other big screen that Apple has in store is the Apple Thunderbolt Display. It has the shape of an old iMac and a 27-inch diagonal display with 2560 by 1440 pixels. The price for the display is $999 (€773.19), but the technology is a few years old.
Technical limitations may be the reason for a delayed update. The DisplayPort 1.2 standard supports maximum Cinema 4K resolutions of 4096 by 2160, so a high-res display with a 5K pixel count would not be feasible until Apple releases a new DisplayPort standard.
The first 5K monitor was announced
On the other hand, Dell has a new 5K display that boasts a 5120 by 2880 resolution and they will put that in stores by year’s end. iDownload blog cites AnandTech research and says that Dell may have actually stitched two 2560 by 2880 panels to get 5120 pixels horizontally.
On the other hand, OS X Yosemite is about to come out. Apple has radically changed the design and the system fonts. Lucinda Grande has been replaced with Helvetica Neue.
The new typeface looks weird on a non-Retina display, but it is amazing on a high-def screen. Therefore, Apple may announce the release of a new iMac and Thunderbolt display along with the Keynote for OS X Yosemite, in October.
Apple went Retina on most of their devices. Besides the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models, the iPhone has had a Retina display since the iPhone 4, and so do the iPad and iPod touch.
A Retina panel requires a powerful graphics card and a better battery. However, that is not a problem for the iMac, because Apple can stick inside it better graphics and the computer runs on AC power, not a battery.