would i be able to use the imac 27" as an external monitor for the Mac Pro 8 core?
I guess so if Apple release a PCI card with a display port on it.
I think that Apples possible reason for this feature on the 27" models is so that it increases the 27" iMac's feasibility to be used as an entertainment PC in the home due to it's size and screen resolution.
Obviously, at the moment all you can hook it up to are other macs, and only recent ones at that, but hopefully Apple have something like the Apogee converter in store so that we can replace our main tv with this and hook up all our peripherals.
Of course, maybe I'm wrong (I probably am) and they simply want their customers to be able to make use of the screen real estate offered by the iMac, along with it's IPS technology and LCD backlighting, many users may feel that they don't 'own' the screen on their 27" beast unless they can use it for other things.
It's also possibly down to the fact that their target market for these machines also use laptops and plan to keep doing so once they have bought the iMac. Again, this limits it solely to recent Mac laptops with Mini display port connectors.
I own a first gen MBP which obviously has a full sized DVI port but I am in the market to buy one of these as soon as my funds grow to the price point of the core i5 model. I use (and have been using) my laptop for everything I do work wise and so if I did get a new iMac I would want to use my laptop for when I am working away from home.
Being able to just hook my laptop right up to my new iMac and switch between the two as and when would be awesome as I work with video files and might just want to 'continue my work' when I get home, but on a bigger screen.
I know this might sound odd to most of you, but it is something I genuinely would want to do.
At the moment, I feel that Apple haven't fully made clear the reasoning behind this restriction. Kind of like your parents giving you a Tesla roadster for your birthday but saying you can only drive it around the house and never anywhere else
I do hope they have license options open to third party manufacturers to develop legit adapters, or even themselves, as that would put the 27" right at the top of the food chain in terms of which Mac offers the most diverse range of uses.
I just Googled for a bit and I can't find a retail screen with LED, IPS, and that insane resolution available to buy. SO the screen really is at least half of the machine you buy. And it'd be great to use it as and how I wish.
