No more video adapters needed for future MacBooks
In the wake of the Thunderbolt Display’s discontinuation, news from HDMI Licensing LLC point to a new specification of USB Type-C port that requires no adapter to connect laptops like the 12 inch MacBook, to external HDMI displays.
The new specifications will allow future MacBooks to connect to external displays, using a cable with an HDMI connector on one end, and a USB Type-C connector on the other end, hence enabling laptops that do not have HDMI output, to connect to a secondary monitor, even when lacking an HDMI port.
While most current MacBook laptops support 4K video, only at a very limited refresh rate, 4K resolution is expected to drive the new specifications, as chip manufacturers like Intel and AMD keep improving their CPU’s and GPU’s, to enable new devices to support 4K and higher resolution displays.
Manufacturers are expected to make specific USB-C-to-HDMI cables capable of carrying data via the HDMI 1.4 standard, and able to drive all displays, regardless of the resolution, from HD, through UHD, 4K, 5K and higher.
HDMI Licensing LLC counts on device manufacturers like Apple, Microsoft and Samsung, to continue improving the internals and graphic processing of their products. By this token, future versions of Apple MacBook laptops, as well as Microsoft Surface devices, might not even need an HDMI output port, and will be able to rely on USB Type-C to drive external displays, as well as being able to connect to other external devices.
This is especially relevant as rumors of Apple working on a 5K Display, suggest that a possible replacement of the retired Thunderbolt Display may be underway. So far it’s unclear whether the new Apple display will have a USB Type-C port, or whether all current MacBook models will be able to connect to it.
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