Apple has abandoned its plans to release a 27-inch external monitor with mini-LED backlighting, according to Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants. Young initially expected the monitor to launch in 2022, but a release has yet to materialize.
In a tweet shared with paying subscribers today, Young said that Apple has "killed off" the display "for now" for reasons unclear, despite shipping some display panels for the monitor last year. He did not provide a reason for Apple's decision, and it's unclear if the company will ever release the monitor in the future or if it will remain cancelled.
Young previously said the display would support ProMotion, allowing for up to a 120Hz refresh rate. Given the 27-inch size that was rumored, it is possible the display could have been a next-generation version of the Studio Display, but it also could have been a new model positioned between the Studio Display and the higher-end Pro Display XDR. The current Studio Display starts at $1,599 with a 5K resolution and no ProMotion.
Apple released the Studio Display in March 2022 alongside the Mac Studio. The monitor has not received any hardware updates since launching.
Young has a good track record with display-related information about future Apple products. In the past, he accurately revealed that ProMotion was coming to the iPhone 13 Pro and the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro, that the sixth-generation iPad mini would be equipped with a larger 8.3-inch display, and many other details.
Update — April 11: Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes the display will enter mass production in 2024 or early 2025.
