Rumors suggest that Apple will soon announce a 4K Thunderbolt Display before the release of the latest Mac Pro in December this year.
Apple launched its latest desktop, the Mac Pro, earlier in October and also announced that it will be able to support up to three 4K displays simultaneously, but the company did not announce any high-resolution display which will go along with the upcoming desktop.
However, according to a Reddit post, Taiwanese manufacturer, AU Optronics, has already begun to produce display panels with 4K resolution of both 27-inch and 32-inch sizes. The displays panels are rumored as the Thunderbolt 2, which Apple plans to release along with the Mac Pro.
"These are the first 4k (well QFHD/UHD) panels manufactured using DisplayPort signaling, which all Apple LCD displays use and is fully compatible with Thunderbolt without any additional signal processing. I'd expect these to release as the Apple Thunderbolt 2 displays along with the release of the new Mac Pro," per Reddit.
Both the display sizes will have 4K resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels, which may also use the new Thunderbolt 2 connectivity to support a larger desktop with display resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels found on the current Apple Thunderbolt Display.
Currently, Apple uses LG panels in its Thunderbolt Display and it is not clear if the new AU Optronics panels will meet the company's quality standards. However, market observers believe that the new AU Optronics panels, which use the embedded DisplayPort (eDP) signaling standard, may be a step towards attracting Apple.
Moreover, AU Optronics has had business relations with Apple in the past. The Taiwanese company supplied components for the iPad mini to Apple. However, the contract with Apple was reportedly ended as AU Optronics was unable to produce enough components for the tablet in the time frame required by Apple.
Apple has confirmed that Mac Pro will hit the shelves sometime in December this year and hopefully, the initial shipping will be made before Christmas.
