Apple reportedly performs on a replacement external display equipped with a passionate iPhone chip and a Neural Engine, potentially giving the professional Display XDR a high-end replacement. The corporate has only one official external display in its line-up, the 6K-capable Pro Display XDR, with a $5k starting price.
While that targets Apple’s professional users, who need excellent color accuracy and, therefore, the kind of expansive contrast ratios required for video and photo editing work, it’s left more mainstream users out of luck if they need an Apple-branded display with a more attainable tag. Rumors have circulated of such a monitor since the Apple Thunderbolt Display was discontinued in 2016.
Now, there’s new chatter of another potential twist to the Apple screen saga. the corporate is currently testing a replacement external display with a fanatical A13 chipset and, therefore, the Neural Engine. Known internally by its codename J327, 9to5Mac reports, the integrated silicon goes further than we’ve seen when it involves standalone abilities for previous Apple displays.
Exactly how Apple will use all that’s still uncertain. The A13 Bionic is the same SoC as within the iPhone 11 series, launched back in 2019. That had Apple’s third-generation Neural Engine, which the corporate uses for accelerating machine learning.
It’s possible, therefore, that this new, brighter Display might be wont to offset a number of the processing that a connected Mac would wish to try to to to drive it. But, of course, we’ve seen external GPUs utilized in that way before, including adding higher-performance graphics to ultraportable notebooks whenever they’re plugged in at a desktop. That way, while users still get the portability of a skinny and lightweight machine on the move, they will also cash in on improvements in processing power when required.
Another possibility, it’s suggested, is to offer the new Display fresh features like AirPlay. for instance, it might be wont to project video from an iPhone or iPad onto the monitor, without requiring a Mac to be also connected.
It’s also possible that Apple could use the A13 Bionic chipset to deliver some standalone Sidecar-style display support. Announced as a part of the upcoming macOS Monterey, Sidecar allows for wireless multi-display setups by bringing the computers together. So, for instance, you’ll position your MacBook Air next to an iMac, and Monterey is going to be ready to wirelessly link the two desktops so that one keyboard and mouse can control the 2.
With a chipset of its own, a replacement Apple display could use that very same straightforward connectivity to expand a Mac desktop without wires, effectively combining AirPlay screen extension and Sidecar simplicity.
Of course, simply because Apple is functioning internally doesn’t mean that product will necessarily graduate to production. With launch plans unclear, we may never see it debut officially, though lingering chatter of a replacement screen sometimes the year continues.
