Apple Ready to Embrace 16:9 Aspect Ratio Displays?

This is a mockup, not an actual product

Apple may be ready to move into the HD age by embracing the 16:9 aspect ratio on the company’s LED Cinema Display refresh, slated to happen tomorrow, Tuesday, according to John Gruber. After having used a glossy, glass display for better color and image production when viewing and consuming videos, a 16:9 aspect ratio will make high definition movies stand out by removing any wasted space on the monitor presented by black bars on the company’s current LED Cinema Displays.

Other items slated for a refresh tomorrow include Apple’s desktop line of computers–the iMac and the Mac Pro. Though the iMac includes a built-in LED display integrated into the computer in a form factor that is similar to the LED Cinema Display, it is unclear if the iMac will also make the transition to a 16:9 aspect ratio screen. However, both the iMac and the Mac Pro are said to be getting faster USB 3.0 and Firewire ports.

Since it is unlikely that Blu-Ray support will be coming to Apple’s computer lineup anytime soon–Steve Jobs has dismissed Blu-Ray due to high licensing costs–the 16:9 aspect ratio, if true, will be good for users who rent or purchase their video content from iTunes, view DVDs, or watch Flash-based movies from YouTube or similar sites.