One benefit of owning a Mac is that you’re part of a never ending soap opera that Cupertino carefully directs. Sometimes the drama has bright spots such as the Mini Display Port story.
The MDP became quite the feature story when Apple decided to scrap the DVI port on its new unibody lineup. I didn’t pay too much attention initially but since the Macs are so media friendly, I found myself wanting to plug it into a TV basically the second day after I bought it. Bummer. The only way is MDP. A quick look on the net left me with a bitter taste. Apple Store sells a DVI adapter for $30 and on the Apple forums people were begging Monoprice to start producing a ceapola version of the adapter. Only that Apple owns the MDP spec and therefore not doable. And there’s no MDP->HDMI adapter, the one that I really craved for.
A short few weeks later on Dec. 1st, the drama registers its first break. Apple suddenly announces no-fee licensing for the oh-love-me adapter. Things heat-up, some suggest petitioning the cheap cable producers to start making the damn thing and there’s hope. I started dreaming of an adapter that I could buy for peanuts. Well, my dream came true today: Monoprice is making it. Still not listed (I could only spot a $15 MDP to DVI adapter) but most likely in the works at Monoprice. You rock guys. I’m guessing a similar price range (1/2 off Apple’s own) should be enough to get the Mac guys’n’gals skip a pizza delivery and snap it. But we know you can do better than this. Monoprice, show us what you’re made of. You’ve done it before with dirt cheap HDMI cables. You can do it again.
I’ll take 50.
Update (Feb.16): They’ve done it. Available on or around March. 15: Order here