What you need to know
- Apple is again rumored to be working on a cheaper alternative to the excellent Pro Display XDR.
- The current Pro Display XDR starts at $4,999.
- A rumored display could cost around $2,499.
If Apple does give us the cheaper Pro Display XDR that we've all been hoping for, there's a chance that it could cost around half that of the big boy monitor. While we still don't really know what corners will be cut to make the display cheaper, nor how much it will cost, a new report does give us a pointer.
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, writing in his weekly Power On newsletter, he believes that the cheaper display will run at around 50% of the price people are currently paying for the impressive Pro Display XDR. That monitor starts at $4,999 which suggests a new model could run around $2,499 — although again, there is no telling what that display will offer in terms of panel size and features. Previous rumors suggest that anything between 24 and 27-inch offerings are in the works.
A timescale of "the coming year" does sound promising, however.
Speaking of Macs and iPads, I'm hoping Apple's next external monitor—destined to be about half the price of the Pro Display XDR—launches in the coming year.
It's important to note that Gurman doesn't cite a source here and it isn't clear whether he has information we don't or if this is purely wishful thinking on his part. Let's hope it's the former.
Gurman made similar claims late last year and there is no doubt that there is a market for such a display — depending on price and capabilities, of course. The current Pro Display XDR is the best Mac display you're likely to find right now, but its price is a big deal-breaker for many.
It also isn't clear whether Gurman's taking into account the cost of a stand for the new display — the Pro Display XDR famously ships without such a thing.
