Apple Display & displayOS
When the rumours of a new 5K external display started a few months ago no one blinked an eye when the rumours included a GPU. Little did we know so much more than a GPU was involved. Today, Apple announced the new Apple Display line and in one fell swoop changed what we expect from our desktop computers.
There are two takes to be had on the Apple Display. One take is that it is iOS scaled up to be the most capable firmware ever conceived for a monitor, the other take is that it is macOS scaled down to work with ARM.
Lets start with what Apple Display does the same as any other external monitor. You can plug Macs into it via USB-C and use it to expand the size of your screen. Much like the cinema display before it, when used this way all the ports become available to the Mac and the Apple Display becomes an amazing docking solution.
The place where the Apple Display gets really interesting is when it is being used stand alone. Apple have breathed some of their experience with the Apple TV and iPad into the displays firmware and have created a whole new place to get stuff done.
The underlying system – displayOS – is iOS reimagined for the big screen keyboard and mouse environment. It is following in the footsteps of the iPad and comes preloaded with Safari, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Garageband, iMovie and Photos. Thats a whole lot of utility in a small package. Embedded inside the Apple Display are the guts of an iPad Pro to keep everything running smoothly.
For a long time people have speculated that the Mac will move to ARM, but i don’t think anyone predicted that iOS would get its own desktop vision.
With Apple Display and displayOS Apple is planting another flag in its vision for the future. Only time will tell if it pays off.
This is a spoof, Apple have not announced such a thing…. though i wish they did!