Gurman thinks Apple will launch cheaper alternative to Pro Display XDR

Pro Display XDR next to a Mac Pro (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects Apple to ship a cheaper Pro Display XDR alternative.
Apple's only display is the $4,999 Pro Display XDR.
A cheaper alternative is someone Mac users have been asking for.

Apple is expected to launch a new display for the Mac, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The display is expected to be cheaper than the current Pro Display XDR.

Writing in his weekly Power On newsletter, Gurman says that he expects "a lower-cost monitor" to come out of Apple, giving people the chance to add a larger external display to their MacBook Pro. Right now, the only Apple-made option is the $4,999 Pro Display XDR and that's simply not viable for most people.

A lower-cost monitor, I think, would be a hot seller for those looking to add a larger screen to their new MacBook Pro without spending the equivalent of a luxury car down payment on the Pro Display XDR. At this point, the cost of building that monitor has likely come down, and with a few tweaks and perhaps a slight drop in brightness, Apple might be able to get to a similar quality monitor (at a slightly smaller size) at perhaps about half the price.

We've been hearing talk of a smaller Pro Display XDR for months and it has yet to be announced — and it won't be before the end of 2021. The Pro Display XDR is undoubtedly the best Mac display available but it's more monitor than the majority of people need and it's absolutely more costly than most are willing to pay.

LG is one company that offers displays that Mac buyers can look into, but anyone wanting to full Apple experience is unlikely to be too pleased with the aesthetics going on there, unfortunately.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.