Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Apple's new 27-inch iMac and its 16-by-9 ratio screen is currently incompatible with devices not equipped with a Mini DisplayPort, limiting its capabilities as an external display.

In a follow-up to its teardown of the 27-inch iMac last week, iFixit said it revisited the new hardware to see if it could display high-definition video from an external source. The solutions provider said their test came up short with third-party hardware via an adapter.

"The iMac will not act as a second (or primary) display using the Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter that Apple sells," they said. "We tried it on a PS3 Slim, as well as a MacBook and MacBook Pro. It looks like we'll have to wait for a special adapter from Apple or a third party."

The connection did, however, work with a 13-inch MacBook Pro equipped with a Mini DisplayPort. Upon plugging the system in, the iMac immediately became a secondary display without the need to click Command-F2.

The new 21.5-inch iMacs do not support video input.

When iFixit looked inside the new 27-inch iMac last week, they found a tightly packed machine concealed behind the desktop's 11-pound screen. The new hardware features edge-to-edge glass and can be outfitted with a quad-core Intel i5 or i7 processor.

When the system is turned on, the new iMac is designed to work as an external display for appropriate devices. All of Apple's recent Macs, from its notebooks to the iMacs and Mac mini, use a proprietary Mini DisplayPort connector.

Apple's existing Cinema Displays, however, lack Mini DisplayPort inputs. The 24-inch model uses a combined cable that pairs USB, Mini DisplayPort, and power into a single wiring harness.



MacBook Pro RAM, processor prices drop

As Apple unleashed a number of new hardware options last week, including the new iMacs, the hardware maker also quietly dropped the prices of additional RAM and processor upgrades on its MacBook Pro line.

Numerous readers contacted AppleInsider to note that high-end MacBook Pro configurations have dropped hundreds of dollars in price -- in some cases near $1,000.

In addition, the Australian online store, as of Monday, cut prices on MacBook Pros by up to $700 AUD. The 17-inch model, which previously sold for $3,999 AUD is now $3,299.

For other MacBook-related deals, be sure to visit the AppleInsider Mac Pricing Guide, updated daily with the lowest prices on Macs.

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

All of Apple's recent Macs, from its notebooks to the iMacs and Mac mini, use a proprietary Mini DisplayPort connector.

Originally Posted by kavlo26

errrr. I was actually hoping that we could hook up a PS3 to it. If Apple does release an adaptor, it is bound to be expensive. =/

Originally Posted by dreyfus2

Hm, strange wording... adapter names clearly identify the supported signal flow: a Mini-DP to DVI adapter is not necessarily also a DVI to Mini-DP adapter. As long as the existing Mini-DP to DVI adapter can be used to connect an external display to the iMac, it is not "incompatible" it just does not do what it is not intended for.

Originally Posted by daniel84

There are cheaper alternatives out there. Whether they're any good or not, I couldn't say.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2