Category: Apple Insider

The 2018 Mac mini is a welcome refresh to the compact Mac product line, but the Intel graphics are weak. AppleInsider examines whether it is worth the extra expense of adding an external GPU to the Mac mini.

In a previous comparison where the 2018 Mac Mini was put against the iMac 5K, it was decided the Mac mini is a great option for users who don’t really need best-in-class graphical performance, such as for photo editing and other intensive media tasks. The Mac Mini doesn’t pack a dedicated graphics card, and it definitely lags behind the iMac 5K which is supplied with a Radeon Pro GPU.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyM-NtjiRKU&w=560&h=315]

However, the Mac Mini does sport four Thunderbolt 3 ports, which means there is the opportunity of hooking up an eGPU, an external enclosure that houses a graphics card.

The actual setup process for the eGPU on the Mac mini is relatively straightforward, regardless of whether it is a separately bought graphics card and enclosure or a premade unit. If bought separately, insert the graphics card into the enclosure’s PCI-e slot and insert the power connectors into the card. Plug your monitor into the card, then plug the enclosure into an outlet and connect it to the Mac mini’s Thunderbolt 3 port.

Once connected, macOS should instantly recognize the eGPU and automatically start using it for graphics rendering.

Price comparisons

For the purposes of this test, a powerful $400 Radeon RX Vega 64 graphics card will be attached to the Mac mini using a $250 Sonnet 550-Watt eGPU enclosure via Thunderbolt 3. It is worth noting the enclosure is also capable of providing 87 Watts of power delivery, allowing it to recharge a connected MacBook for those interested in giving their portable Mac more graphical grunt.

The Mac mini next to the Sonnet eGPU enclosure

The Mac mini in this case is upgraded with an Intel Core i7 processor and 512 gigabytes of storage. Instead of upgrading the RAM to 32 gigabytes for $600 through Apple, a 32-gigabyte upgrade kit was acquired for the far cheaper cost of $200. Following a memory swap, the total cost of the Mac mini in this case is approximately $1,700.

The price of the Vega 64 eGPU brings the entire boosted Mac mini setup to $2,350, excluding the monitor and peripherals. Add these extras on, and you’re getting quite close to the cost of a similar-specification iMac 5K.

Just on comparative specifications, those switching from PC to Mac or upgrading from an earlier Mac mini model are likely to have their own mouse, keyboard, monitor, and in the case of the PC user, potentially even an AMD graphics card to add to an empty eGPU enclosure. In this sort of situation, opting for the Mac mini is probably going to offer the better overall value for money.

In the event you don’t need all of the power offered by the Vega 64, an alternative option is to acquire a $200 RX 580 graphics card and combine it with the $200 350-Watt Sonnet eGPU enclosure. Going for these cheaper options brings the overall cost down to $2,100, saving $250.

The eGPU enclosure is a considerable investment in terms of desk space

Realistically, you can also save a good amount of cash on the Mac Mini by opting for a smaller storage capacity, using less RAM, or maybe just going with the i5 processor instead of the i7 if you don’t need that much processing power.

Performance

The main downside to using an eGPU is that it isn’t as efficient as using an internal graphics card. The Thunderbolt 3 for a variety of reasons can shave off some performance compared to a native PCI-E connection, or a built-in version.

As part of the testing, the Radeon RX Vega 64 eGPU was put against the discrete Radeon Pro 580 in the iMac 5K and the Vega 56 installed in the iMac Pro. Both discrete cards are less powerful than the Vega 64 in the eGPU, but benefit from a wider data path than the Thunderbolt 3 eGPU.

Looking at raw performance in Geekbench 4’s Metal test, the Mac Mini with Vega 64 scored similarly to the iMac Pro with the Vega 56 card, but quite a bit less than the iMac Pro with the same Vega 64 GPU. More importantly, the Mac mini using the eGPU achieves a score over six times greater than without the enclosure.

Synthetic benchmarks are a decent approximation of everyday tasking, but aren’t a good indicator of specific performance on every given task. AppleInsider has its own real-world tests involving video editing in Final Cut Pro X. The tests also provide more variation in terms of load sharing, with some elements relying more on the processor than the eGPU, which can have more of a bearing on the final scores.

Starting with the BruceX Final Cut Pro benchmark, the Mac mini with the eGPU is right up there with the iMac Pro, and is even faster than the iMac 5K. Compared to the Mac mini by itself, there is a considerable performance increase with the external card.

In a test for stabilizing a 20-second 4K clip, the eGPU-equipped Mac mini is actually slower than both the iMac Pro and the iMac 5K, but again is still a marked improvement over the Mac mini alone, running approximately 3.5 times faster. The slowness despite having a more powerful card is likely down to the inefficiencies of using an externally-located graphics card.

In another video test exporting a 5 minute 4K project, the Vega 64 helps the Mac mini finish over twice as fast as a stock model, but it’s unfortunately still slower than the iMacs. This is somewhat surprising as the Mac mini’s processor and eGPU are both more powerful than what is offered in a top-of-the-line iMac 5K.

Moving on to a 5 minute 4.5K RED RAW project, the Mac mini actually outperforms the iMac 5K, as the Red RAW codec is extremely processor intensive rather relying than eGPU-based processing. Since the Mac mini’s processor is faster, it finishes quicker than the iMac 5K.

In the last test, exporting a 60p Canon Raw Lite project, the Mac mini is yet again slower than the other two, because it is a less processor-intensive task, and more of GPU-bound one. However, it was able to play back the project at 52 frames per second compared to only 45 on the iMac 5K. The iMac Pro played back at the full 60 frames per second.

The result dropped down to around 22 frames per second in the Canon Raw project when the display was plugged directly into the Mac mini, instead of into the eGPU. Treat this as a warning that, if you ever use an eGPU, make sure the monitor is plugged directly into the enclosure.

A mixed result

If you already own a 2018 Mac mini, getting an eGPU can really boost graphics performance compared to the stock specification, but graphical power is your primary differentiator between the Mac Mini and the iMac 5K, just go with the iMac. It performed better in almost every test put to all of the models, even though the processor and graphics card aren’t as powerful as the Mac mini’s processor and the eGPU’s graphics card. There is also the benefit of having a beautiful 5K display to use at the same time and minimal desk usage due to being an all-in-one unit.

Throughout, the iMac Pro showed itself to be a viable alternative to both of the other Macs, passing with decent results in all of the tests. It may not necessarily offer the cost savings of a Mac mini with an eGPU, but it is certainly an option for those looking for reliable performance.

By Roger Fingas
Friday, February 15, 2019, 09:12 am PT (12:12 pm ET)

Facebook and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission are in talks over a privacy violations fine that could cost the former billions of dollars.

The two sides are still going back and forth over the exact amount, Washington Post sources said. Facebook confirmed the existence of negotiations, but declined to say anything more. It could be hoping to reduce what it pays in exchange for business changes and tougher scrutiny.

Both sides have an interest in a settlement, since the alternative could be a protracted court battle. At the same time the fine could easily become the biggest the FTC has ever leveled against a tech firm, dealing a meaningful blow to Facebook’s bottom line. The current record holder is Google, which paid just $22.5 million in 2012.

The FTC began investigating Facebook in March last year following the emergence of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Analytica and Cambridge University researcher Aleksandr Kogan used a quiz app to collect data on Facebook users and their connected friends, the latter without their consent, enabling Analytica to build voter profiles for some 71 million Americans and a smaller amount of people overseas. The harvesting was discovered in 2015, but only made public by Facebook in March 2018. This drew the scrutiny of governments in both the U.S. and the U.K.

Some clients of Analytica — now mostly defunct — included the Presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, and the Institutional Revolutionary Party during Mexico’s 2018 general election.

The FTC is concerned that Facebook’s past and recent activities constitute violations of a 2011 agreement in which Facebook promised to improve its privacy standards. One of these is likely its abuse of an Apple enterprise certificate for “Facebook Research,” an app people were paid to install to monitor usage habits. Apple briefly revoked the certificate.

Under pressure from citizens and lawmakers, Amazon has pulled the plug on a large facility in New York City and is walking away from billions in incentives.

Amazon declared the retreat from previous plans in a statement on Thursday morning.

After much thought and deliberation, we’ve decided not to move forward with our plans to build a headquarters for Amazon in Long Island City, Queens. For Amazon, the commitment to build a new headquarters requires positive, collaborative relationships with state and local elected officials who will be supportive over the long-term. While polls show that 70% of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City.

We are disappointed to have reached this conclusion—we love New York, its incomparable dynamism, people, and culture—and particularly the community of Long Island City, where we have gotten to know so many optimistic, forward-leaning community leaders, small business owners, and residents. There are currently over 5,000 Amazon employees in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Staten Island, and we plan to continue growing these teams.

Amazon is not planning on reopening a search for another loaction at this time. The company says that it will continue the deployments in Northern Virginia and Nashville, Tenn., and it “will continue to hire and grow across our 17 corporate offices and tech hubs in the U.S. and Canada.”

Not everybody in New York is happy about the news.

“Amazon’s decision to withdraw from New York is no doubt a blow to our local economy and the tens of thousands of people the company would’ve employed here. New York City is today one of the most dynamic tech hubs in the world, but there is no guarantee we will maintain this status in the future, which makes this news so disappointing,” said Tech:NYC Executive Director Julie Samuels in a statement to AppleInsider. “It’s especially disappointing given the overwhelming local support for the deal and there can be no doubt that bad politics got in the way of good policy here.”

“Amazon’s decision to withdraw from New York is no doubt a blow to our local economy and the tens of thousands of people the company would’ve employed here. New York City is today one of the most dynamic tech hubs in the world, but there is no guarantee we will maintain this status in the future, which makes this news so disappointing. It’s especially disappointing given the overwhelming local support for the deal and there can be no doubt that bad politics got in the way of good policy here.”

The search for a new headquarters started in September 2017, and saw 238 initial candidates applying to host the facility. The list for the potential HQ2 was narrowed down to 20 cities in January, including 19 cities in the United States and one in Canada.

New York was assisting Amazon to the tune of $1.525 billion —assuming the company created 25,000 jobs. The inducement package offered to Amazon included a refundable tax credit through New York’s Excelsior Program of up to $1.2 billion over the next 10 years, based on what the company is expected to pay employees.

Both the Virginia and New York locations were expected to see $2.5 billion each in Amazon investment. It isn’t clear if Amazon will amp-up spending in either Virginia or Tennessee as a result of walking away in New York City.

“We are excited to build new headquarters in New York City and Northern Virginia,” said Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos. “These two locations will allow us to attract world-class talent that will help us to continue inventing for customers for years to come. The team did a great job selecting these sites, and we look forward to becoming an even bigger part of these communities.”

At the same time as announcing the two selected HQ locations, the retailer also selected Nashville to become a new Center of Excellence for its Operations business, which handles the supply chain, customer fulfillment, and transportation. The new center will create more than 5,000 jobs from an investment of over $230 million, with the facility consisting of 1 million square feet of office space, and will create an estimated incremental tax revenue of more than $1 billion over the next decade.

By Christine McKee
Wednesday, February 13, 2019, 09:36 am PT (12:36 pm ET)

Apple authorized resellers have issued dramatic markdowns on Apple’s current Mid 2018 15-inch MacBook Pros, with discounts of up to $700 off. In addition to the lowest prices anywhere on the premium configurations, many models also come with free expedited shipping for fast delivery to your door.

Top discounts can be found below, while a full list of deals on every 15-inch MacBook Pro can be accessed 24/7 in the AppleInsider Price Guide. In addition to the cash savings, each MacBook Pro listed below qualifies for free expedited shipping within the contiguous U.S. at B&H Photo. Meanwhile, Adorama, also an Apple authorized reseller, will not collect sales tax on orders shipped outside New York and New Jersey — and the company is knocking $30 off AppleCare when ordered with a 15-inch MacBook Pro (plus all CTO models qualify for an exclusive coupon discount with code APINSIDER).

2018 15″ MacBook Pro deals

• 2018 15″ MacBook Pro (2.2GHz, 16GB, 256GB, Radeon 555X) Space Gray: $2,215* ($184 off)
• 2018 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz, 16GB, 512GB, Radeon 560X) Silver: $2,499* ($300 off)
• 2018 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz, 16GB, 1TB, Radeon 560X) Space Gray: $3,199* ($300 off)
• 2018 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz, 32GB, 512GB, Radeon 560X) Space Gray: $3,099* ($400 off)
• 2018 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz, 32GB, 2TB, Radeon 560X) Space Gray: $3,999* ($700 off)
• 2018 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz, 32GB, 4TB, Radeon 560X) Space Gray: $5,999* ($700 off)
  Find dozens more MacBook Pro deals…

Add AppleCare

You can easily tack on an AppleCare extended protection plan to these 2018 15-inch MacBook Pros by selecting the AppleCare option in your cart on the respective reseller’s site.

Additional Apple Deals

AppleInsider and Apple authorized resellers are also running a handful of additional exclusive promotions this month on Apple hardware that will not only deliver the lowest prices on many of the items, but also throw in discounts on AppleCare, software and accessories. These deals are as follows:

By Roger Fingas
Monday, February 11, 2019, 09:30 am PT (12:30 pm ET)

One Grammy winner that flew under the radar Sunday night was “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs,” which won for Best Opera Recording despite some high-profile competition.

“Steve Jobs” was composed by Mason Bates, and recorded by the Sante Fe Opera Orchestra. It takes place within a single act but jumps around in time, depicting milestones like the founding of Apple and the launch of the iPhone, mixed in with personal events and Jobs’ interest in Zen Buddhism.

Some of the opera’s competition included a recording of Richard Strauss’ “Der Rosenkavalier” starring Renee Fleming, and a BBC production of John Adams’ “Doctor Atomic,” about the testing of the first nuclear warhead in 1945.

Apple hasn’t called any attention to the win, presumably because it wasn’t directly involved and the opera is sometimes critical. The company has been careful about shaping public opinion of its co-founder — while it’s quick to praise his intellect, it has sidestepped issues like child custody fights and questionable business decisions.

The company has been using the Grammys to call attention to Apple Music, for instance pointing out the success of Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next,” and running memoji-themed billboards and TV ads.

The 2018 MacBook Air refresh is packed with potential, but is it worth buying it versus the prior generation? AppleInsider talks about which version is the better option for your money.

2017 MacBook Air (left), 2018 MacBook Air (right)

Three months ago, Apple released the new 2018 MacBook Air, complete with the first full redesign to the line in 10 years. It’s packing a bunch of new features and technology that brings it up to date with Apple’s other MacBook offerings at a relatively low price of $1200.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdIBMq0XUMs&w=560&h=315]

However, Apple is still selling the old MacBook Air for $1000, that’s $200 cheaper.

This raises the question of whether the new MacBook Air is really worth that extra $200, or if the old MacBook Air may be a better option. Or, for owners of the old MacBook Air, should they upgrade to the newer model?

Obvious Outside Refinements

Right off the bat, you’ll notice that the new Air has a modern look and feel to it, using an all-aluminum design whereas the old Air’s hinge is made of plastic. One thing the new model lacks is the glowing Apple logo, but it doesn’t really matter that much.

Even the hinge has changed between models

Even though they both pack 13-inch displays, the new Air is quite a bit smaller and more portable at 11.97 inches long and 8.36 inches wide, instead of 12.8 inches long and 8.94 inches wide, and it’s a little bit thinner as well. With the old model, you get a bunch of ports, including 2 USB-A ports, a headphone jack, a Thunderbolt 2 port, and an SD card slot.

You also get a MagSafe charger, which will quickly disconnect if someone trips over the cable.

The 2017 model uses Magsafe to recharge

With the new Air, you simply get a headphone jack and two high-bandwidth Thunderbolt 3 ports, which can be used for charging or connecting external devices like a 5K display. Yes, having only two parts is pretty limiting, but you can easily find a relatively cheap USB-C hub.

Opening up to see the displays, may will notice a huge difference in design. The old Air looks outdated compared to most laptops on the market, with those huge silver bezels, while the new Air has slim glossy black bezels surrounding the new Retina display, that look much more pleasing.

The off-angle color shift is more obvious in the older version

The Retina Display itself is worlds better on the new model, as it can display 96 percent of the sRGB spectrum compared to only 71 percent on the old Air. It’s also laminated, so it looks like its a part of the glass.

With the old Air, there’s a noticeable gap between the glass and the display which can be distracting for some. The worst part about the old display is its horrific viewing angles, as it changes colors and gets very dim while looking at it off-angle, an issue that is minimized in the newer model.

Tactile Parts

There’s no doubt there’s a lot less key travel on the new Air’s keyboard, and it does take some time to get used to, though some still prefer the old keys. The nice thing about the new Air is that it features Apple’s third-generation butterfly key mechanism, which incorporates a silicone barrier to protect from dust and debris.

The third-generation butterfly key mechanism means there’s less key travel in the 2018 MacBook Air

The new Air also gains Touch ID for logging in and using Apple Pay online, which is a nice little bonus. Sure, passwords are decent enough, but using Touch ID seems to be a quicker option.

A huge difference is in the trackpads, as the new one is not only larger, but it’s a force touch trackpad so it doesn’t physically move. A motor beneath the trackpad vibrates to simulate clicks, and you can easily customize pressure-sensitivity in the settings.

There’s a bigger trackpad in the newer model

You also get an even clicking feel across the whole trackpad, whereas the old model used a cantilevered design that makes it difficult to click near the top edge.

Sound and Internals

The speakers are also much better on the new Air, with vocals clearer than before and with a generally more full sound. The old Air doesn’t even have speaker grilles, as the sound comes from beneath the keyboard.

Comparing the FaceTime cameras of the two models

The new MacBook Air also gets the T2 security chip, which takes care of a lot of items on behalf of the processor, like controlling the SSD and making the whole system more secure. Even though both models have the same quality 720P FaceTime camera, the T2 chip helps the new Air record much better video, including a brighter image than the older model.

To go with the speakers, the microphone quality is also improved in the latest model.

For performance, obviously the new model is faster despite both old and new versions having a dual-core processor, with the 2018 edition roughly 30 percent faster than its predecessor. Not only that, but the technology in the processor is newer, so it supports hardware encoding of HEVC which can help with video rendering.

We also saw a 25 percent increase in graphics performance on the new Air as well, which is nice since it still maintains the same 12 hours of battery life.

Decision Time

Is the new Air better? Oh yes, much better, and it is definitely worth the extra $200. To make it even better, there are multiple sales going on right now, so you can buy the 2018 MacBook Air for as little as $1079.

The new Air is basically better in every way, unless you need a lot of ports.

Comparing connectors on the two MacBook Air generations

If you currently own the old MacBook Air, should you upgrade to the new one? Well, if you’re happy with your current MacBook and it does everything you need it to do, then don’t upgrade.

You’ll notice a difference, but not enough to make it worth spending the cash. Use your old MacBook until it breaks down or starts impeding on your ability to get work done.

If you have some money burning a hole in your pocket, and feel like you’re ready to upgrade, the new Air is a great choice.

Where to buy

Apple authorized resellers are discounting both the 2017 MacBook Air and 2018 MacBook Air with instant rebates of up to $250 off. A few of the hottest deals can be found below, but it’s always wise to check out the AppleInsider Price Guide for the latest discounts and product availability.

2018 MacBook Air deals

2017 MacBook Air deals

LG has been catering to Mac owners for years, and the company’s UltraWide 5K2K display is a great solution for creative professionals who want a bit more horizontal real estate.

LG UltraWide 5K2K and 15-inch MacBook Pro

If you’ve got a MacBook Pro on your desk, a big monitor absolutely helps workflow. If you’ve got a more compact Mac mini, it’s a requirement. With certain tasks such as video or audio editing, programming, or other content creation, more real estate is good, and a 34-inch wide display certainly provides that.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px7b3mEmdak&w=560&h=315]

Resolution

As a display —especially at this level —it needs to kill it in the visuals department. The LG UltraWide 5K2K sports a resolution of 5120 x 2160, which at first blush makes this look like a 5K monitor.

Eagle-eyed readers will note, however, the vertical resolution. In short, it has the horizontal resolution of a 5K monitor and the vertical resolution of a 4K display.

LG UltraWide 5K

A massively wide 21:9 display is going to have a bit of a niche audience but anyone who is coming from a resolution of 4K or below should be happy.

Color representation is accurate and like many high-end monitors, an individually unique color calibration report is included in the box to verify its integrity. It supports DisplayHDR 600 (HDR10) so between the brightness and accuracy, colors pop —even with the matte finish.

As far as other specs go: The refresh rate is 60Hz, it has a max brightness of 450 nits, covers 90 percent of the DCI-P3 wide color gamut, has a contrast ratio of 1200:1, and an exceptionally wide 178-degree viewing angle.

A gamer may find flaws with the slower 60Hz refresh rate, but let’s be real —most hardcore gamers aren’t going to be using a Mac. If you are a steadfast gamer who needs a gaming-focused monitor, we’d suggest looking elsewhere for 120Hz or 240Hz.

Connectivity

Connectivity isn’t an issue, with a bevy of ports available.

LG UltraWide 5K

Ports include:

• 1 x Thunderbolt 3
• 1 x DisplayPort
• 2 x HDMI
• 1 x 3.5mm Headphone
• 2 x USB Type-A
• 1 x USB Type-B
• 1 x Power input

When you connect a 15-inch MacBook Pro over Thunderbolt 3, you get to take advantage of the audio output on the back of the monitor for headphones and the two USB ports while also drawing 85 watts of power. The 15-inch MacBook Pro can handle 87W so this is just shy of full speed charging.

In our testing so far, the 85W is more than sufficient to keep the MacBook Pro fully charged, even when under load.

LG UltraWide 5K

The Thunderbolt 3 signal also routes the audio through the monitor’s dual 5W speakers. The speakers themselves aren’t anything to write home about. They beat the MacBook Pros internal speakers but still far cry from dedicated studio speakers.

To control the monitor there is a multi-purpose joystick on the underside of the front panel. It can be moved in four directions, as well as be depressed to make a selection.

LG UltraWide 5K controls

Quickly moving it left and right will decrease and increase the volume while moving it forward will toggle mute on and off. If you depress the joystick, LG’s menu is presented where you can access picture mode, settings, power, and input.

It is a simple control scheme that does its best not to bury settings too deep within the menu. The main menu is displayed at the bottom center, but once you go into a settings option it will appear on the right side of the display.

Setup

The display ships in three pieces —the screen, the curved stand, and the pole that holds it all together. Unfortunately, the support post is largely made of plastic and painted to look like the silver metal of the bottom stand. This gives it a bit of a cheap feeling —a sentiment we also had regarding the bezels around the monitor itself.

LG UltraWide 5K metal stand

We really like the minimalist design of the curved stand, it still keeps our desk free for other clutter and the whole setup can stay fairly close to the back of the desk.

Once you take everything out of the box, the stand connects to the support pole with a simple thumb screw. Then the monitor snaps into place at the top.

LG has built in a very small amount of horizontal rotation which seems largely just to make sure the monitor is straight. The display is so big rotating it wouldn’t be feasible on most desks anyway.

LG UltraWide 5K adjustments

It easily adjusts up and down with very little assistance from the user. LG has the resistance balance perfectly which makes adjusting it a breeze. Vertically it can tilt ~5-15 degrees.

Build quality

LG did a bang-up job designing the LG34WK95U. The display itself looks fantastic, the silver and black body look sleek, but there are still areas that could improve.

It is odd that the front and sides are all black, but the hidden back is white. It would have looked a bit better if they went all one way or another in our opinion.

Most of the display is also plastic between the bezels, back, and the support column. We don’t expect to see others taking Apple’s approach of creating an all-metal display, but it could be improved.

The bezels around the display look particularly cheap. LG likely would have tried to get away with making the base plastic too if it didn’t need the added heft.

To be fair to LG, almost all other display companies employ similar tactics so it is something that we see time and time again, we just miss Apple’s propensity for design.

Nano IPS technology

LG is touting its new Nano IPS tech in this and other of its newer monitors. Nano IPS is a new, LG-specific version of in-plane switching LCD technology that uses nanometer-sized particles to help absorb excess light wavelengths to produce more intense colors. This is partially what earned it the DisplayHDR 600 compliancy badge on the front for HDR.

Even though HDR displays are often very bright, the LG34WK95U still isn’t quite as bright as Apple’s own displays —such as that in the 5K iMac.

Living with an ultrawide display

The width takes some getting used to. There are some obvious use-cases for the display right off the bat, though.

Jumping into Final Cut Pro X, a much larger view of your timeline with the added horizontal real estate makes working pleasant. Instead of just having a library, preview window, and Inspector open, you can add color wheels on the top which helps streamline that workflow and reduces the need to constantly open and close UI elements.

LG UltraWide 5K with Final Cut Pro X

I spent some time working on my web development projects as well. It was much easier to have multiple windows open at once such as the actual code and the live preview of my work. Instead of having to tab between my IDE and Safari, I can freely see them side by side.

This is a 34-inch monitor, so expectations should be set that it will occupy a large overall footprint. The horizontal span of this monitor will exclude it quickly from any smaller setups. For a long-term solution, we’d rather mount this to an arm so it can move more to the side and keep the space under it open.

LG UltraWide 5K

Our Mac does a great job powering up such a large display, though your mileage will vary based on your machine. For example, the latest Mac Mini is unable to push this display at full native resolution. When you do run a 4K or 5K display at native resolution though, on-screen objects get insanely small.

It may be easier to be run the display at a scaled 2560 x 1080 instead, which makes user interface elements a comfortable size while still leaving you room to work. But, on the other hand, why pay for 5K2K if you don’t need the resolution? This decision all comes down to workflow.

For the price, the display will be limited to the creative pros who can really benefit from the large horizontal space at a high resolution. It can make a world of a difference to those users’ workflows. The bulk of other users may be better off with one of the flagship LG UltraFine 4K or 5K displays.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Where to buy

LG’s 34-inch 5K monitor (34WK95U-W) is available at both B&H Photo and Amazon.com for $1,496.99. B&H is also throwing in free expedited shipping withing the contiguous U.S. and will not collect sales tax in a number of states.

By Roger Fingas
Wednesday, February 06, 2019, 09:11 am PT (12:11 pm ET)

In a twist, Apple this week took preemptive legal action against a firm called Fundamental Innovation Systems International, hoping to deter any patent lawsuits related to USB charging.

The company has filed suit through the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, asking it to declare that it doesn’t infringe on patents FISI acquired from BlackBerry. A formal complaint speculates that it be could be the next target for FISI, which has already used legal pressure to secure licenses from corporations like LG and Samsung.

“Defendants have claimed, through letters, claim charts, telephone calls and in-person meetings with Apple personnel in this District, that certain Apple products infringe the Patents-in-Suit and that Apple requires a license to the Patents-in-Suit,” lawyers for Apple wrote. “However, Apple’s products do not infringe the Patents-in-Suit.”

A key contention in Apple’s defense is that many of its devices and adapters use Lightning connectors, instead of adhering strictly to the USB 2.0 standards cited in FISI’s patents. Lightning cables do tap USB for power and data, but have custom endpoints and authentication technology.

Apple is nominally requesting a jury trial, but if its lawsuit has its intended effect, FISI may be forced to settle before that point.

Apple is regularly targeted by outfits like FISI, which produce no actual product and depend on lawsuits and royalties to make money. Normally they’re defeated or settle out of court, but Apple did take a major hit recently when the federal U.S. Court of Appeals denied an appeal of a 2016 jury verdict in favor of VirnetX, putting it on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars.