Apple MacBook Pro Gets 5K Support

It was slightly more than a week back that Apple unveiled more affordable 27” 5K iMac models, and here we are with word that the MacBook Pro too, will be receiving 5K support as target display mode is still unavailable for the Retina iMac. In other words, the brand new 15” MacBook Pro model would be the third – and hopefully, not last, Apple machine that ships with the ability to drive high-resolution 5K displays, although Apple’s current flagship 5K device, the the iMac with Retina 5K display, does not come with the hugely popular target display mode feature as mentioned earlier.

This means that the latest power-user laptop is more than capable of driving Dell’s UP2715K 27” 5K monitor (which you can see on the right) whenever it comes equipped with the optional AMD Radeon R9 M370X graphics chip. Prior to this, the most recent Mac Pro and iMac with Retina 5K display models had received certification for use with that monitor, and that Dell monitor is still maintaining an iron grip on the fact that this is the sole 5K monitor that is officially supported by Apple.

No idea on why Apple has not included target display mode for the Retina iMac to date, although one can speculate that bandwidth restrictions imposed by DisplayPort 1.2 could be a leading cause.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Apple, Computers
Tags: iMac, Macbook Pro