Apple recently held its annual WWDC event, and there were quite a few announcements that made Apple fans quite happy. Along with the announcement of the new (and very expensive) Mac Pro, Apple announced that they would also be releasing a new 32-inch 6K display. Wow, 6K you say, that’s amazing! Yes, indeed it is quite special, but is this new Apple display something that photographers need? Let’s discuss after the break.

The new 6K Apple display has all the bells and whistles you could imagine. A recent post over on Engadget lists the specs in good detail; it also lists the astronomical prices too. For $4,999 you’re going to get a 32-inch 6K display that is capable of displaying the P3 color space, and that can display high dynamic range incredibly accurately. The Apple display has a standard 1,000-nit brightness, but it can top out at 1,600-nit when you need that extra illumination. This new Apple display also has a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1 so you will get the whitest of whites, and the darkest of blacks. There is a model that also features an etched nano texture which will help with glare, but if you want that luxury, you’ll have to drop $5,999.

You might think those prices are steep enough already, but you will also have to factor in that the display does not come with a stand. The stand for the new Apple display which can flip between portrait, and landscape orientations is an extra $999. If you want to mount the monitor to a wall you can grab the VESA mount for $199. The biggest question here though is do photographers need a monitor like this or are current options on the market more than good enough?

I think the general line of thinking here is that unless you just have humongous amounts of money burning holes in all of your pockets, you will be just fine purchasing a much cheaper monitor that has been professionally calibrated for photography before leaving manufacturing plants. There are a ton of options on the market that are geared for photographers. The BenQ SW240 which costs just $399 is probably more than enough for most photographers out there. For that price your even getting a stand that can flip between landscape and portrait orientations too just like the optional $999 Apple stand. Granted this monitor is not 6K, it’s not even 4K, but for the average photographer who doesn’t do a lot of printing it’s just fine. If you do a lot of printing and need 4K, you can grab this BenQ 32-inch SW320 monitor for just $1,499, that’s $3,500 less than the entry level Apple display.

So who is the new 6K Apple display for? Ultimately the new Apple display is for large, commercial production companies. If you’re a photographer who can justify the cost of the new 6K Apple display, and you can make that money back, then, by all means, go for it. No doubt it is an excellent monitor. If you’re a commercial videographer who needs a 6K display for the work you do, then go for it, but don’t think that you need to rush out and grab this Apple display if you’re a typical photographer, simply because there are more cost-efficient options out there that can give you all the resolution, color profiles, and options you need to produce stunning images. What do you think about the new 6K Apple display? Let us know in the comments down below.