Apple ponies up free Mini DisplayPort spec licenses

Apple has just announced that -- in addition to shipping all new computers with the Mini DisplayPort -- they’re offering no-fee licenses to companies that develop products utilizing the connection, hoping to create a de facto standard. Of course, the VESA-approved DisplayPort hasn’t been widely adopted, so it remains to be seen whether its miniature sibling will ever take off. At any rate, it looks like the company might have learned a thing or two back in the day, when FireWire’s steep licensing fees slowed its progress as a serious contender to USB. You hear that, hardware developers? You can be part of Apple’s latest obscure connector revolution -- for absolutely nothing.