Apple’s Professional Show XDR is 5 years previous as we speak, marking half a decade since its launch alongside the 2019 Mac Professional.
Launched on December 10, 2019, the Professional Show XDR was Apple’s re-entry into the high-end exterior monitor market, following a three-year hiatus after discontinuing the Thunderbolt Show in 2016. The announcement got here at Apple’s Worldwide Builders Convention (WWDC) in June 2019, the place the corporate introduced the show as a rival to conventional reference screens. The XDR in its identify stands for “Excessive Dynamic Vary,” a function that Apple emphasised as a key differentiator from different high-resolution screens obtainable on the time.
It includes a 32-inch Retina show with a 6K decision of 6,016 by 3,384 pixels, powered by Apple’s proprietary LED backlighting system. Apple utilized blue-colored LEDs with customized lenses and reflectors to realize a most brightness of as much as 1,600 nits in HDR mode, whereas sustaining 1,000 nits throughout the whole display indefinitely. This enables for what Apple describes as “stunningly correct colours and distinction,” supporting the P3 broad colour gamut and delivering a claimed 1,000,000:1 distinction ratio.
The rear of the show options the identical lattice sample used on the 2019 Mac Professional, which capabilities as a heatsink to help thermal administration. The show can be obtainable with matte nano-texture glass to chop down on glare—the primary Apple product it is featured on.
Upon its launch, the Professional Show XDR garnered vital consideration for its excessive worth. In the USA, the show begins at $4,999, and customers who go for the adjustable Professional Stand should pay a further $999. The Professional Stand, which is bought individually, was met with combined reactions upon its unveiling. Apple justified the price by highlighting the engineering concerned, with the Professional Stand providing peak, tilt, and rotation changes, in addition to help for each panorama and portrait modes. A VESA mount adapter can be obtainable for individuals who choose third-party mounting options.
As of its fifth anniversary, the Professional Show XDR stays one in every of solely two exterior screens bought by Apple, alongside the Studio Show, which was launched in March 2022. Not like the Professional Show XDR, the Studio Show comes with an built-in A13 Bionic chip, enabling options resembling Middle Stage for its built-in webcam, spatial audio, and help for Siri voice instructions. The Professional Show XDR, nonetheless, has no webcam or any inner Apple silicon chip.
Hypothesis a few second-generation Professional Show XDR has been circulating for a while. In December 2022, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman reported that Apple was engaged on an up to date model of the show, this time with an Apple silicon chip to boost its capabilities. In July 2023, Gurman reiterated that Apple was nonetheless growing a number of new shows. Show provide chain analyst Ross Younger not too long ago mentioned that the next-generation Professional Show XDR will function quantum dot know-how, similar to the newest MacBook Professional fashions. Nonetheless, no additional particulars have emerged concerning what different particular upgrades the Professional Show XDR would possibly obtain or a possible launch time-frame. For now, the Professional Show XDR stays Apple’s flagship show providing.