Apple may be preparing a 5K monitor with integrated GPU

Apple has been a strong supporter of the Thunderbolt standard and most of its existing monitors utilize the port for connecting to Apple desktops and MacBooks. Now, new rumors are suggesting that the company is ready to update its nearly 5-year old iMac with higher specifications and a new accompanying design including a 5K (5120 x 2880) resolution panel and coverage of the DCI P3 spectrum.

Perhaps the more interesting piece of speculation is that the new display will include its own integrated graphics chip. The source claims that Apple wants to make the new display more usable for smaller MacBooks that may lack the GPU horsepower to run such a high resolution panel. Subsequently, the next update to OSX is expected to incorporate automatic graphics switching to recognize when the external GPU and display are connected.

It is unclear what protocol Apple will apply to its monitor, though Thunderbolt 3 should be the most likely candidate as other current solutions may not be able to provide the necessary bandwidth. If true, then the current MacBook 12 would be incompatible with the new 5K display as its USB Type-C port does not support Thunderbolt 3.

Apple rarely announces new panel technologies or similar hardware at WWDC, but the anticipation for a new 5K monitor may be the exception for when the event finally takes place later this month.

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